Give it all Away
by Music is my Insperation
Summary: Tohru Honda is alomost out of time to keep Kyo out of confinement. She is willing to do anything to give Kyo an at least semi-normal life, even if it means letting go of all the people she holds dear... and becoming Akito's personal 'pet'.
1. Prologue

_Alrighty, I fought myself forever on whether or not I was going to write this, but I've finally given in. I apologize of any of the characters are OC at all... I'll do my best to make them not OC, but if they are... heh, you have my apologies. If you leave feed back, feel free to write whatever you want. Criticism is good because it helps me improve my writing!! Hope you enjoy!_

**Give it all Away**

The day of graduation had approached quickly; now there was only one week left. _And I still haven't broken the curse... _Tohru thought sadly. _I promised myself I would free them, but I failed..._

Though she had tried her hardest, she hadn't been able to free them. _I still have a week left! _She thought, trying to keep herself optimistic, but it was hard. The words that Akito-san said still whirled around in her mind. When he had told her that all of the Juunishi would come back to him, and remain, unchanging, forever.

And Kyo-kun.

She truthfully did want to release all of them. But Kyo-kun was part of her top priority, ever since she had come to terms with her feelings. If she couldn't succeed in freeing all of the Juunishi, she would keep him out of confinement. She _had _to. She was willing to give everything to keep him out of that dark, lonely room.

And this was why she was standing in front of the main house gates.

Two days ago, she had realized something. No one could tell her the things she needed to know. She had tried multiple people; Shishou-san hadn't been able to help her with the way to break the curse. Isuzu-san was trying to break the curse too, but knew as little as Tohru did. Kureno-san had told her much, but still, she had no way to break the curse. The only person who could help her now was...

Before her courage failed her, she pushed the button. Nervous as she could ever be, she fidgeted, waiting for the reply.

"Can I help you?" came the gruff voice of a security guard.

"Uh... Um, m-my name is Tohru Honda... Um, I would like to speak with... A-Akito-san, please." she stuttered, her nerves getting the best of her.

"One moment please." The speaker in front of her went silent, then the man spoke again. "You may come in."

The doors before her slowly opened, and she stepped inside. As soon as she was in, the doors closed behind her, sealing her fate.

Unsure and nervous, Tohru stood at the sliding door that lead into Akito's room. She fought to find the courage to knock. _For Kyo-kun! _she thought to herself. _Do it for Kyo-kun! _Fueled by this thought, she reached up and knocked on the door.

"Come in." came a cold voice from inside.

Tohru shivered, then slowly slid the door open and stepped inside. "H-Hello, Akito-san..." she said, closing the door behind her and fidgeting nervously.

Akito, who was sitting on the other side of the dark room, rose. "Tohru Honda. Welcome." he smiled, but it was far from a nice smile.

Tohru smiled shakily in return. "A-Akito-san..."

He interrupted quickly. "I know why you've come, Honda." he said, glaring at her coldly.

"Y-you do?"

He shrugged and moved to look out a small window. "Naturally. You've come about my little monster, haven't you?" he glanced at her, and saw the confused face. "Kyo, you idiot!"

"Y-yes!" she replied, eyes going wide.

"You don't want him to go into the cage I have prepared for him, do you?" he laughed slightly. "Maybe you want to _save _him. You think so highly of yourself that you think you could _save him from his fate?_ Is that how you see yourself? As his _rescuer??_"

Tohru swallowed hard. "N-no, Akito-san... W-well, yes, actually..."

"And what..." he boomed loudly, whirling on her furiously. He pointed a long, thin finger at her. "... do you think that will do to change my mind?!? You think I will relinquish my monster without severe consequences?!?"

"I... I know, Akito-san..." tears were welling in her eyes. Humbly, she got down on her knees and put her forehead to the floor. "I'm willing, Akito-san, to give it all up, if you would just give Kyo-kun his freedom. I'll give anything!"

"_Anything?_" he asked, a slow grin crawling up his face.

"_Anything!_"

Akito laughed. "Then you shall give _much_, Honda. _You will give much!"_


	2. Back Home

_Chapter 2! Yay! Although I've only written around 900 words, I feel like I've made a lot of progress. But maybe I haven't... I'm not sure. I sure hope you enjoy this!_

**Give it all Away**

Tohru walked towards the house she called home, tear stains on her face. The deal that she and Akito-san had made was hard on her. She would give up much, but gain very little. But she was willing. She was willing to do anything for Kyo-kun. Even though she couldn't break the curse, she could at least keep him from that small room.

She hesitated at the front door, worried that Kyo-kun, Sohma-kun or Shigure-san would notice the traces of tears on her face. She didn't want to lie to them, but Akito had sworn her to secrecy until the time was right. So she took a deep breath and rubbed her face hard, hoping to illuminate the tear stains. Stepping in the door, she called, "Kyo-kun! Sohma-kun! Shigure-san! I'm home!"

There wasn't an immediate reply, which caused her vague relief. Checking the time, she hurried to the kitchen, intent on making dinner. As she entered the kitchen, a voice gruff voice behind her said, sounding angry, "Tohru!"

"EEEP!" she yelped, jumping a few feet in the air and whirling around. "O-oh!" she smiled brightly. "Kyo-kun! I didn't see you there!"

He glared at her. "Where have you been all day?" he demanded.

"Umm... I was with some of my friends..." she lied, avoiding his eyes, hoping she wasn't being too obvious.

"That's a lie, Tohru, you're lying!" he looked at her intensely. "Tell me the truth Tohru!"

She turned around and headed into the kitchen. "I... really was with a friend of mine, Kyo-kun!" she lied again, as pulled ingredients for dinner out of the fridge and cabinets.

She could feel him staring at her back with accusation in his eyes. "You're still lying. And I can tell you were upset! Someone made you cry! Who was it?"

"N-no one..." How was she going to avoid this question? "I wasn't crying..."

"You're _lying _again Tohru!" he told her, then sighed in defeat. "But, whatever. Keep secrets from me! I don't care." he threw her one more glare, and then sat down grudgingly at the table.


	3. Disturbed

___Chapter 3!! Woo Hoo! I'm excited! Okay, TO KYO! Who is my favorite character, you should know!_

**Give it all away**

Kyo closed the door to his room and leaned against it. What happened to her? He wondered, closing his eyes. She was obviously upset by something, and this, in turn, upset him. "Feh!" he exclaimed aloud, feeling like a wuss for feeling this way. "Disturbed just because she had a bad day that she won't tell me about!" he muttered in frustration. But, he had no idea why she was in a strange mood. She had been gone since immediately after school today, and he had worried about her non-stop since then.

He turned and slammed a fist against his door. Curse all of these strange emotions! **Curse them**!! They were frustrating. He was the Cat! He wasn't supposed to fall in love! And that is what he was convinced the emotions in him added up to be. The Cat was supposed to have nothing, at least, that was what he had always been told. He was going to be locked up in a little less than a week. And you won't see Tohru again...

That was another emotion that annoyed him. Fear. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to tell he that he loved her before then. And fear also made his courage disintegrate. Every time he thought to himself _I'll tell her! I will! The next time I see her, I will! _but, he never got enough courage to actually tell her. All he could do was imagine it in his head, and that often ended up great! But, it was imagination versus real life.

He slid down the door and listened to the noise coming from downstairs; apparently the rat was home from his student council meeting, and it sounded as though the pervert had come out of his cave. He could smell dinner fumes coming into his room from under the door. It smelled of ramen and fish. Yum... he thought, smiling and cocking his head. She was making fish, his favorite.

"Kyo-kun!" her voice drifted up to his ears. "Dinner is ready!"

He wiped the smile off his face and went down stairs, glaring at Yuki as he went to his seat. Yuki glared right back at him, obviously in a not-very-good mood.

He watched Tohru as she set the table with the food and plates. She was smiling and chatting happily with Shigure, who was being perverted as usually. _Maybe I read her wrong earlier_... he thought to himself. She seemed... normal. A little ditzy and smiling brightly. He shrugged. _I was probably wrong_.


	4. The Invatations

_Hola everybody! I hope you are enjoying the story so far! I know I sure am enjoying writing it! I really am! Though, this web sight sure does make it hard to add a chapter... But oh well! I think I have it down now. But enough about me and my computer... heh, **issues**! Onto Chapter Four!!_

It was two days after Tohru's visit to Akito that he started the plan that he formed after discussing what Tohru would give up to 'save' Kyo. There were sixteen people who received the following letter::

_Dear friend of mine,_

_I am inviting you to a party that I am throwing at the my home! I would very much like it if you came! There will be lot's of food and friends! I also have an announcement that I would like to make!_

_It will be on Tuesday of next week at six o-clock!_

_Hope I will see you there!_

_Love, you're friend, Tohru Honda._

The people who received this invitation were all twelve members of Juunishi, plus Kyo, Kazuma, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima.

Akito chuckled in pure mirth as he reread the letter he had typed up. _This _was part of his plot to make that disruptive wench pay for what she had done to him. This would make her suffer more than she ever had.

He grinned. She would pay the cost the cost she owed him... and much more.

Tohru hummed to herself as she made breakfast. Kyo-kun had already made his entrance earlier, right after she had woken up. He had just come in from his morning run, and was now showering.

Tohru could tell that Kyo-kun was still suspicious of her, but she was doing her best to dissuade this suspicion. She was glad that Sohma-kun and Shigure-san hadn't noticed her tear streaked face yesterday.

Yuki came down the stairs next, staggering and looking asleep on his feet.

"Good morning, Sohma-kun!" she exclaimed happily.

"Goodmoringhondasan..." he slurred, his eyelids drooping heavily.

She smiled brightly.

"Tooohru-kun!" Shigure called from his study.

"Yes, Shigure-san?" she called back, taking a finished pancake off of the skillet.

"Can you come here for a second?" he called back.

"One minute, Shigure-san!"

She turned off the stove and put the pancakes in a pan that she had in the heated oven, to keep them warm. Smiling her brightest, she trotted to the entrance of Shigure's study. "You needed something, Shigure-san?"

He smiled at her and handed her a sheet of frilly flower stationary. "What is this, Tohru-kun?"

She took one glance at it and knew that Akito had already started his plan. "Oh, um, Shigure-san, didn't I tell you? I'm hosting a party next week! I-I hope that's ok." she smiled at him worriedly.

Grinning, he waved his hand flippantly. "Non, non, Tohru-kun! I don't mind! As long as you invited the bright Aaya-san and Haa-san!"

She nodded vigorously. "Yes! Yes I did, Shigure-san! As well as the rest of the Zodiac and Uo-chan and Hana-chan and Shishou-san!"

Shigure clapped his hands in delight. "Wonderful, Tohru-kun! I will certainly be there!"

Forcing a smile, she said, trying to be chipper, "Wonderful, Shigure-san! I can't wait!"

As she left his study, she couldn't help but think, _That was a lie. I could wait forever for that dreaded day to come. _


	5. The First Guests

_Chapter 5! I have only been writing this for two days and already chapter five! Usually I lose interest in one of my stories in about a day... Only because I'm really inconsistent. All my stories could be __**really**__ good, but, heh, inconsistency is my curse... But I'm sure you all don't care about that at the moment! I should probably get on with Chapter five! Enjoy Younglings (ignore the younglings things, heh, I call everyone that, even 'oldlings'. Hee hee :D). I think this is my longest chapter yet..._

_OoO_

Though Tohru strongly willed it not to, the day of her 'party' approached and it became clear to her that there was no turning back. She had hoped that no one would be able to come, but luck was not on her side. Every single person that Akito had sent an invatation to had told someone, who had told her, that they would be there.

Even though she was glad that this would keep Kyo out of confinement, she wished there was some other way. But there was none. There was nothing she could do, now, though. She had made a deal. She had promised. And this was a promise she was willing to keep.

Because, in this plan that would hurt her deeply, she had a hidden plan. Though things would happen and change how she lived drastically, she could continue looking for a way to break the curse, without worrying about Kyo.

Because she didn't trust Akito, though this made her feel ashamed. After Akito put Kyo in confinement, even if she did find a way to break the curse, she doubted that he would let him out of confinement.

OoO

Party night came all to soon. It was the day after graduation, and Kyo was on his toes and anxious, in turn, making Tohru feel guilty that she couldn't tell him that he wouldn't be put in confinement.

Tohru had worked hard preparing food for her guests, making a specific dish that each person would like specifically (Cheese dumplings for Yuki and salmon onigris for Kyo, as an example). She had just finished when her first guests arrived.

Wiping her hands on her apron, she opened the door and greeted Momiji and Hatsuharu.

"Tohru!" Momiji exclaimed in excitement, nearly attacking her. There was a poof of yellow smoke and a hyper bunny sat in Tohru's lap.

"Hello, Momiji-kun!" she said, smiling brightly as she hugged the rabbit. She looked up. "Hello, Hatsuharu-san."

"Hello, Tohru-kun." he said tonelessly.

"How are you today?" she asked, cuddling Momiji to her chest.

He shrugged. "Eh..."

Momiji bounced up and down in her arms. "I'm great, Tohru! I had so much fun today!" he went on, babbling excitedly about his violin lesson, what his friends did at the park and so on and so forth.

Smiling, Tohru excepted Haru's hand as he helped her up. "Come on, Momiji-kun! I'll get your clothes and leave you in the bathroom so you can change in there."

"Ok, Tohru!"

She had only just left her young friend in the bathroom when she heard another knock on the door.

"Oh, Tooohruuu-kuuun!" a loud voice called from outside. "Open the door so that the King of this party may come in!"

Smiling, she hurried to open the door and was greeted by Ayame and Hatori.

"Hello, Ayame-san! Hello, Hatori-san!" she said, stepping aside so that they could enter.

"Thank you, Tohru-kun!" Ayame said happily, before skipping down the hall. "Oh my beloved brother Yuki whom I have not seen in forever! Come hither to Ayame!"

Hatori, who looked annoyed, patted Tohru on the head and said, "I apologize for Ayame's loudness today, Tohru-san. It seems he ate sugar before he came, so he may be even more loud than usual."

Tohru smiled brightly. "Oh, that's alright, Hatori-san!"

He smiled back at her before going walking down the hall towards the living room, where Yuki's protest and Ayame's blathering could be heard.

Tohru giggled, then returned to her post in the kitchen.


	6. He Comes Knocking

_Chapter 6... I'm being an obsessive writer at the moment. Gotta get it all out, lol. I personally think its going good so far! Though the ending is still... fuzzy. I'm getting there! I have good ideas, but I need to think it all out. Wish me luck and enjoy chapter 6! Oh, and by the way, I apologize that the chapters are so short... I hardly ever write in chapters, so its a sort of new concept to me. Forgive me for that! I'll do my best to make them longer! Anyways... Enjoy chapter 6! (as I stated in earlier sentences...) _

_OoO_

Kyo was annoyed. Yuki annoyed him. Ayame annoyed him. Uotani annoyed him. Kagura annoyed him. Almost every single person at this stupid party was annoying the crap out of him! The only person who wasn't annoying him was Tohru. And she hardly ever annoyed him.

But this was a given.

He was silently enjoying a salmon onigri when there was a knock at the door. The loud room went silent.

"Who could be at the door, Honda-san?" asked Yuki, puzzled, looking confused. Everyone else in the room sported a similar look. "I thought everyone was here...?"

Tohru fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well..." she said, not meeting anyone's eyes. "No..." she paused. "I should probably... go... answer the door." She rose from where she was sitting with Kisa and excited the room.

A nervous wave of muttering passed through the room.

Kyo had a bad feeling about this.

OoO

Tohru, who had been dreading this moment ever since she had made the deal with Akito, excited the room and went to the front door. She opened the door and greeted a very ticked off Akito. "Hello, Akito-san." she said, bowing her head in respect.

He glared at her. "Is everyone here?" he demanded furiously.

"Y-yes. They are all... in the living room."

His grin was not a good one; in fact, it was fairly evil. "Good." he waved his hand flippantly. "Go and announce me!"

She shuddered and then turned, going to the other room. "E-everyone!" she said, almost a whisper. Nobody seemed to notice, but continue to mutter nervously among themselves. "Ex-Excuse me, everyone!" she called, louder this time. She realized her voice was shaking. "I-I would like to announce... the a-a-arrival of... Akito-san..."

She waited for a reaction. But all she received was a shocked silence.

OoO

Kyo starred at Tohru. _Akito?!?!?? Tohru had invited __**AKITO??? **_He was shocked beyond words, and also very furious (not at Tohru, but at Akito).

Just then, Akito entered the room, attired in his normal black kimono. "Hello, my beloved _Juunishi_." he said, smiling that smile of his. The smile that never failed to tick Kyo off. He glanced distastefully at the 'outsiders' in the room. "And friends..."

Uotani seemed to sense malice in the man and demanded, looking a Tohru, "Who _is _this creep?!"

Tohru fidgeted, looking down, not meeting anyone's eyes. "A... Just a friend of the family, Uo-chan."

"You mean the head of the family." Shigure said, smiling brightly. "Hello, Akito! Welcome to the party!"

"Hello, Shigure." Akito said, looking annoyed. "Now then. On to business?"

Kyo felt his defenses rising. "_What _business?" he demanded, glaring daggers at the head of the house.

"Why, Tohru said in her invitation that she had an announcement, correct?" he said, looking innocent. "That's why I'm here."

Suspicion rose within Kyo as he glanced briefly at Tohru, who was still looking at her shoes.

"Would you like to make your announcement, Tohru, my dear?"

_When did Akito start calling Tohru 'my dear'?!? When did Akito even _meet_ Tohru?? _Thoughts raced through Kyo's head frantically. What in the world could possibly be this announcement? It was driving him nuts. But it wasn't a good kind of 'nuts'. It was a bad kind. A very _very _bad kind.

"Y-yes..." Tohru said, in answer to Akito's question. Tears began welling in her eyes.

Wait... Kyo did a double take. _Tears?!?_

"T-tonight, I... I am going to say... g-g-goodbye!" She proceeded in breaking down in sobs.

Uotani and Hanajima both made moves to hug Tohru, to comfort her.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Akito said, waving his finger. At precisely that moment, multiple, very large men burst into the room and quickly overran it. Akito gave orders before anyone could react. "Two on the men and older women! Only one for the children!"

Kyo leaped at Akito, intent on strangling him, but found that he was being held back by two pairs of muscular arms. "Let go of me!" He snarled, struggling.

Akito chuckled mirthfully. "Aw, my dear little monster! You shall not be getting away today!" his grin was full of venom. "At least, not with your memories."


	7. A Deal Exposed

_Chapter 7 already? Wow.... But in truth I haven't written that much... (sigh). And I must apologize for the previous chapter! Another short one! Woe is me! Heh, lol, sorry about that... I couldn't resist the dramatic cliff hanger, though. Oh oh! Guess what! I figured out an **ending!!!** I am so excited!! Ha! In your face writer's block! Heh, just kind of ignore me... I'm a little bit hyper! I'm not sure how the hyper-ness is gong to help with the following chapter... since its sad... By the way, this one will be short, at least I'm planning for it to be. :D Enjoy (says following in loud booming announcer voice) **CHAPTER SEVEN!!!!**_

__OoO

_Akito chuckled mirthfully. "Aw, my dear little monster! You shall not be getting away today!" his grin was full of venom. "At least, not with your memories."_

Kyo shuddered a little bit. "My... memories?" In his mind it clicked, but he refused to believe what was happening. Instead, he pushed the thoughts away and demanded, "What do you mean?"

Akito smiled again. "It's a scary thought, isn't it?" he laughed, looking like a child who had just gotten a new toy. "A life without your memories of _her._"

Kyo twitched. "Wh-What?"

"Don't play dumb, my precious monster. You know what I'm talking about."

Uotani, who had had just enough of this beating around the bush, demanded angrily, trying to jerk out of the hands that were grasping her tightly, "What the frick are you talking about, you creep?!?"

Akito laughed and approached her. "You would like to know, Yankee?" he asked, running a finger down her cheek.

"Don't make me bite you!" she snarled.

"Oh, dear, a brave one, eh? Maybe you should go first..." he glanced around, then waved a hand in the kitchen-like direction. "Release Hatori please. I would like a word with him before I reveal my plan." The men, obviously trained to serve Akito, stepped back, releasing the physician. "Come here." Akito commanded.

The seahorse approached and leaned down as Akito whispered in his ear.

"What?!" he demanded, showing an odd lot of emotion. "Akito! You can't...!" A large hand clasped over his mouth and he was cut short.

"Take him to Shigure's study." Akito said, waving the men away before turning back to the rest of the people. "If Hatori doesn't give you a large clue, then I don't know what will. Still needing to know?"

Kyo looked from Akito to Tohru in (*cough* fake) confusion. It felt like his heart was being ripped to shreds.

Akito chuckled. "I do believe I shall take that as a yes. You see, your dear Tohru came to pay me a visit a week or so ago. Was it a week ago, Tohru?" he turned to the weeping girl, who had her face in her hands.

She nodded, only slightly intelligible.

"Yes, so it was a week ago. She came to me to ask me... rather _beg _me to allow the Cat to stay out of confinement." he looked amused. "I'm sure that makes you feel... _loved, _huh, my little monster?"

Kyo twitched. _What? _

"So we made a deal. Keeping you out of confinement will make her suffer dearly. You see, the agreement we made consisted of all my of precious Juunishi and her two dearest friends..." he smiled maliciously. "... to lose all memory of her."


	8. Say Goodbye

_Hello again! Chapter 8. Heh, wow... I didn't think I'd get this far! But, well, here I am! Now then, I have a few things I want to clarify before I continue (if people even read these random blatherings I type at the beginning!):: First of all, this particular fan fiction has no particular place in time, other than around graduation time. For example, I couldn't tell you exactly what book this takes place after... I apologize for that. Second, my favorite character in this series is Kyo! Random? Yes. But I'm not a love obsessed fan-girl. :D I like Kazuma too... Kyo's father figure... Am I weird to like him? But again, not in obsessed fan-girl way... But enough of my pointless typings! On to Chapter 8! Enjoy it to the fullest!_

_OoO_

"_So we made a deal. Keeping you out of confinement will make her suffer dearly. You see, the agreement we made consisted of all my of precious Juunishi and her two dearest friends..." he smiled maliciously. "... to lose all memory of her."_

A fit of confusion ran through the room; Kisa started crying as much as Tohru was, and Hiro was trying his best to get away from the guard holding him to comfort her. Ayame started babbling incoherent words of discombobulation. Momiji started blubbering and trying to get to Tohru. And Isuzu, Yuki, Uotani and Kyo all began viciously fighting the guards that held them.

The rest were to shocked to do much of anything. Except Hanajima. Suddenly, one of the guards that held her collapsed, holding his head rather than her arm. The other suddenly began yelling about 'them being there'.

"You fools!" Akito cried. "Knock her out! _Knock her out!!"_ One of the guards released Shigure, who was doing nothing, and attacked her, wrapping a large hand around her neck and pressing on two pressure points located there.

The black haired girl was out instantly.

Tohru whimpered and fell to her knees, bending over so her forehead touched the floor. "I-I'm sorry..." she whimpered. "Hana-chan...!!"

Kyo continued to fight his guards. His mind was in turmoil. _No! I can't lose my memories! Not of her! Anything! Take anything! But not her! __**Not her!**_ He was nearly in tears, and felt like a wimp for it.

"Now then..." Akito said, tapping his chin with his finger. "Who shall go before the rest of the others? Who's memories shall I strip of them first?" he seemed to ponder this, but Kyo knew he was acting. "Why don't we let... my little monster go first?"

Kyo froze. _No! No, no, no, no, __**NO!**_ He screamed it in his head over and over again. _You can't take her away from me! I won't let you! _He would've spoken these thoughts aloud, but he couldn't work his mouth.

Akito smiled, looking gleeful. "Say goodbye, Kyo. This is the last you will ever know of her!"

"Akito!" he yelled, fighting the guards as they took him away. "Don't do this! _Don't do this!"_ But the room was already out of sight.


	9. Gone for Good

_Wow... The last chapter ended up being really short! You see, it always looks really long on my regular computer screen, but then I get it on there and its all short all of a sudden! So, again, I apologize for the shortness. Now then! Here comes more of my random blatherings! My least favorite character:: hmm... this is actually a hard one! I love them all! So I don't have a least favorite! Enough about me, lol... **ON TO CHAPTER 9!! **The not long waited upon chapter nine, I might add..._

_OoO_

Kyo fought his hardest as the large men dragged him into Shigure's study. Akito followed them close behind, laughing like a maniac. They entered the room and pulled him towards where Hatori stood, looking grim, but excepting.

"Hatori, I would like you to follow my instructions exactly please." Akito said. "Take away all of his memories of _her_, and replace them with... memories of me. I'd like him to think that he's been living in Kazuma's house since they came back from wherever they went. Make sure you get the relationship with _me _across."

Hatori nodded.

Kyo fought hard, but the guards were stronger than he was and quickly corrected his wiggling, which was all his struggling had been able to produce. He could no long move, for they had forced him to stand stiffly, using their bodies to keep him still. He stood there, unable to move, trying not to let tears flow.

Hatori's hand began to glow, and he said gently, "I'm sorry, Kyo. I'm so sorry." and his hand touched Kyo's forehead.

Kyo conscious being instantly dived into a deep black pit of his mind, where his memories were stored. Memories began playing in his mind, all of them of her; when he had first met her, times he had seen her cry, times he had seen her laugh and smile, precious memories. When she had come after him after he had changed into his true form, when he had realized his true feelings for her. There were so many memories.

He fought _so _hard; he fought as hard as he could. _Don't leave me, Tohru! _He cried out. He fought for just a scrap of memory, he fought to keep something of her with him. _Tohru! Tohru! Don't leave! Come back! Come back! _But she was fading. She was leaving him.

He fought for what seemed like hours, trying to keep her from fading, from leaving him, from abandoning him. Finally, his strength failed him, for just one instant, and suddenly, she was gone.

_What was I trying so hard to hold on to? _He wondered, thinking hard. _Why was it **so **important to me? _He felt like his heart had been taken hold of and ripped from his chest. _Why does this hurt so much? Why does it hurt so much, even though I don't know what I wanted to remember?_

But as hard as he tried, the memories were gone... whatever they were about.

OoO

Hatori watched the young man as he struggled mentally. His eyes closed and his facial features writhed as he tried so hard to keep her in his head. He began struggling hard with the guards, crying out loud, "Don't leave me, Tohru! Tohru! Don't leave! Come back! Come back!" He continued to fight the people holding tight to him, crying out for her not to go, tears falling in quick rivers down his face.

Hatori was sure that Kyo didn't know what he was doing.

Kyo's fighting gentled for about two seconds before he collapsed completely, with only the men on either side of him to support him.

As they carried Kyo away, Hatori heard him whimper slightly, and knew that Tohru was completely gone from his memories. Or, at least, mostly gone.


	10. Back to the Old Anger

_Wanna know the truth? That last chapter was what I was looking forward to writing most... so far anyways. Now what I'm looking forward to writing the rest! Wow I've got ideas for this... It'll be great! And for those of you have enjoyed it so far, I hope you stick with me till the end! Time for more of my random blatherings! What character confuses me the most:: Let's see... Ayame and Kakeru. Ayame is... out there. And Kakeru... is out there. Some of the stuff they say sometimes... Geez, its like, 'Wait... That's relevant, how...?' And Kakeru can be really stupid sometimes... But I like him a lot... By the way, this is a celebrated chapter! **CHAPTER TEN!! **Ten chapters... wow. I feel like I started this ages ago! But it was only around four days ago... Next celebrated chapter will be chapter fifteen! Hope I get that far (don't be worried, I probably will. All your great reviews are keeping me stoked to write!)!! On to Chapter 10!_

_OoO_

Kyo opened his eyes slowly; same old bed in the same old room, living the same old life, dreaming the same old dream. He sighed and curled into a tighter ball; he tended to sleep in a curled up ball, like cats do.

It had been four days since his chest had started aching like it did now. A pain so painful, he didn't know what to do about it. It was ripping him apart from the inside out. And he didn't know why. He hadn't told Shishou yet. He thought that this man who had taken him in and raised him would think he was insane.

He tried to take a deep breath, but his heart was so tight that he could hardly breathe. _Why, why, why does this hurt so bad?! _He though furiously, slamming his fist onto his bed. He was angry now, since he still didn't know why he felt this way.

He jumped out of bad and slammed his way down the hall, absolutely furious.

"Good morning Kyo." Shishou said, looking up from his morning tea.

Kyo scowled at him and didn't reply.

"How did you sleep?"

Kyo grunted and yanked the milk out of the refrigerator, then slammed the door to it.

Shishou sighed. "Not good, I see."

Kyo glared at the floor and stomped out of the room.

OoO

Tohru wiped tears off her face and huddled in the corner of the small room she sat in. It had been a few days, she knew, but exactly how many she wasn't sure. She had cried non-stop, it felt like. Akito had said that this is where she would stay when he had no use of her and when she needed to sleep.

Akito had started calling her 'his pet' when he came to visit her, which had been exactly eight times. She had counted.

He had told her that he would let her out in a few weeks, maybe let her serve him dinner or something. As long as she didn't talk to any of his Juunishi. The only one she could talk to was Hatori, who hadn't had his memories erased. He had visited her a few times, too. Sometimes with Akito and sometimes by himself.

He had asked her how she was fairing and she had instantly burst into tears. "_H-horrible!"_ she had cried. _"I-I can't sleep, because I'll... I'll dream of Kyo-kun! And I __can't stay awake because I'll think of Kyo-kun! I... I feel like I'm going to die!" _She remembered his response to this. He had smiled sadly and left. That was it.

But he, too, had gone through this... With Kana. _Poor Hatori-san..._ she thought to herself, staring blankly into the dark interior of the room. _He knows how I feel..._ Yes. Hatori knew very well how she felt.

OoO

Kyo sulked all day long, thinking hard on why his chest ached so much, and trying to ignore the nagging pain. This he found difficult. _Maybe Hatori would help me...? _he wondered, thinking briefly about the Juunishi's doctor, then he brushed the thought away. No point in going to him if he couldn't even confront Shishou.

Because he no longer had school, and didn't plan on applying to or going to a collage any time soon, he merely walked around the Sohma estate. He couldn't leave the Sohma estate. Akito had forbidden him to.

_Stupid Akito... Stupid Sohma estates... Stupid ache! He was angry. If someone, anyone, came up to talk to him, he was going to hit them. _


	11. Trouble's Brewing

_I'm not quite sure what I'm going to write in this chapter... hmm...? I'll figure it out soon though. Don't worry! After I get past all these bumpy unsure parts, there will be smooth sailing! Enjoy Chapter 11 please!_

_OoO_

Hatori sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He was brooding, which was an unusual habit for him. He was very worried. The time was nearing a week since he had erased the memories of the entire Juunishi and then some, and Tohru was falling apart. But she wasn't the only one.

Kyo had become the angry, will-beat-you-to-bloody-pulp if you even spoke to him Kyo. Yuki wasn't speaking to anyone; Akito had asked Hatori to make it so that Yuki had remained at the main house all his life, which of course, included Akito and the torture that he inflicted upon the rat. And those were the two main ones. The others weren't affected as much, but upon close inspection, they too were affected by their loss of Tohru.

He was being affected too, and he realized this. Even though he hadn't erased his own memories, he was still suffering from the other's loss of her. He hadn't realized how much their world revolved around her. But it had. She had been almost the core of it. Though he hadn't realized it before, he realized it now.

He also realized how much she had helped Yuki and Kyo to change. He had known that Kyo had softened considerably, and hadn't hurt anyone drastically since he had met her; He had also known that Yuki had lightened up and had been willing to try things that he hadn't ever wanted to try. So much had changed since she came.

But along with all of that which he knew, he also knew that was exactly why Akito was so jealous. Akito felt that Tohru was taking his precious Juunishi away from him. Which, admittedly, she pretty much was. And that was why Akito had ordered their memories erased.

But he was on the lookout for Akito trouble, which was sure to come. He had a feeling that he was going to rub it in the face of Tohru, making her feel acutely the pain of her close friends forgetting. It was bad enough that she lived, for the most part, in the cat's room. But he had a feeling that this wasn't good enough for Akito.

OoO

Tohru stood up as Akito entered the small room. She nearly fell over form fatigue; she hadn't slept well the night before and was extremely exhausted. "G-good day, Akito." she said 'good day' because she wasn't sure what time of day it was.

"Good morning, my pet." he said, looking angry. "Today, I've decided to allow you to come out of your dark home."

She smiled, great-full.

"But you are to serve me as a maid!" he exclaimed, still looking furious. "And you are not aloud to talk to any Juunishi, except Hatori, unless I say so!" Glaring daggers at her in the dim light, he snapped, "Go take a shower and clean yourself up!" he threw a parcel at her, which hit her in the chest and fell to the floor. "Then come to my quarters!"

Tears of gratitude filling her eyes, she dashed to the small, dark bathroom that was part of the cat's room.


	12. Working for Akito

_I'm pretty sure that last chapter was pretty shaky... Heh, it was hard to figure out what to write there. It really was! But I think I did ok for last minute configurations... But ok! I wanna thank you all for your comments. They really are uplifting! And again... I apologize for the shortness of chapters. Okay! On to chapter 12! CHAPTER 12!!!! Wait, quick note... I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE!!!! Onto Chapter 12! Again!_

_OoO_

Tohru stood in one of the corners of Akito's room. It wasn't as dark in this room as it was in her room, but it was bright enough to hurt her eyes. Akito was with Hatori at the moment, who was examining him. Akito seemed to be suffering from the cold or the flu or some such illness.

"Here Akito." Hatori handed him a bottle of medicine. "Take this after breakfast and dinner and this illness should go away."

"You're dismissed Hatori." Akito said gruffly, waving his hand at him.

Hatori nodded and walked out of the room, throwing a discrete 'goodbye' wave at Tohru.

_Bye, Hatori... _Tohru thought to him, then waited for any order from Akito.

"Honda!" he snapped, sounding very ticked off. "Go get some iced water from the kitchen so I can take some pain reliever for my head!"

Tohru bowed and said, "Yes, Akito. I'll be right back, ok?"

He made a furious grunting sound, glaring at her.

Tohru exited the room and hurried towards the kitchen. She was actually in a good mood right now, rather than in the depressed mood she had been in for the past... few days maybe? Or a week? She still wasn't quite sure.

Smiling brightly, and working hard to keep her mind on cheery thoughts, she stepped into the kitchen. She had barely entered when she yanked herself out, breathing hard and good mood dissolving. She didn't dare enter the kitchen now; she would probably break down. But she had to try.

Taking a deep calming breath, she entered the kitchen, trying her best to smile brightly. "Oh!" she said, feigning surprise. "Good morning, Yuki-san." she said, forcing happiness. "How are you today?"

The gray haired boy looked up and stared at her with wide purple eyes. She smiled at him. He only stared.

Her smile grew confused as she turned and opened a cabinet; no cups. Frowning, she opened the cabinet next to it; still no cups. "Hmm...?" she murmured, turning. "If I were cups, where would I be...?" she mused out loud. She continued to open and close cabinets, trying to find cups.

Finally, the last cabinet, she found the cups. They were at least four feet above her head. "Hmm..." she hummed, looking up, for the moment unsure on how she would get them. "Ah!" she exclaimed and turned. There was only one chair at the table in the room, and it was occupied. "...Oh..." She turned back and looked up again.

"Maybe if I..." She stretched up and reached as far as she could, but to no avail. She grunted and stretched farther, but still, fruitless. "One... more... time!" she huffed, determined. She stretched up and came _so _close, but yet so far away. Just then, a hand then an arm came into view; the hand reached up and took a cup down. She turned, and smiled.

Yuki handed her the cup, not meeting her eyes, but looking at the floor.

She took the cup, smiling brightly. "Thank you, Yuki-san!"

He glanced at her once, then turned and hurried out of the kitchen.

Tohru hummed happily as she fetched Akito's drink, completely forgetting his order not to speak to them. But being able to just see and have a one sided conversation with her close friend made her very happy.


	13. Akito's Wrath

_Ok, so now she has to meet Kyo with his new girlfriend? Uh-huh, I shall take your suggestion into review, but it has to pass multiple branches of my mindful government system, lol. She __**might **__meet Kyo soon.____**MIGHT!! **__Don't get your hopes up, but expect the unexpected! Have fun thinking about that! Say hello to Chapter 13!! And please enjoy! _

_OoO_

Tohru hurried back to Akito, drink in hand, but Akito was absolutely furious at how long she had taken. He was, to say, throwing a fit.

"_Why! Did! It! Take! You! So! Long!" _he screamed at her, throwing a glass vase at her.

"I-I'm sorry!" she cried, doing her best to dodge what he thrown and keep the water in her hands from spilling. "I couldn't find the cups and it was too tall and I couldn't reach!" she cried, jumping aside as he threw a lamp at her head.

"_Then how did you reach it?!??" _he shouted, yanking a drawer out of a desk that sat in his room and throwing it blindly towards her.

"N-no one!" she cried, instantly knowing that she had messed up.

"_Then how did you get that cup?!??" _Another drawer was flung at her head.

"I-I used a chair." she sobbed, tears streaming form her face, completely afraid of Akito's outrage.

"_**THAT'S A LIE!**_" he screamed. "_**DON'T LIE TO ME!! TELL ME WHO HELPED YOU!!"**_

Tohru caved just then and confessed, "Yuki! Yuki-san helped me!" she cried, cowering against the wall. She knew she was in very big trouble.

"_**YOU SPOKE TO ONE OF MY JUUNISHI???"**_ He was definitely in a rage now. Rather than throwing things at her, he directly attacked her. He jumped at her, hands aimed for her throat.

She shrieked in fear and moved out of his aim. This game of catch continued, with Akito only landing a few hits, but all together to blinded by his rage to see much.

Finally, Tohru found herself backed into a corner. "P-please, Akito!" she cried, covering her face with her arms. "I-I'm sorry! Forgive me please!"

Akito raised his fist to strike her, face red with furry....

OoO

Kyo walked into Akito's room just as the girl he was attacking cried out "P-please, Akito! I-I'm sorry! Forgive me please!" Kyo was instantly struck by how _familiar _that voice was.

_But I've never heard it before...?_ he thought, then realized that Akito was about to take his furry out on the cowering girl. He dashed forward and grabbed Akito's wrist, just as it was plummeting down to strike her.

"Akito!" he said, restraining him as best her could. "You need to stop!"

Akito whirled on him and unleashed his poison tongue. "You idiot monster! How dare you defy me! What I do with this girl is _my choice! _I _own _her! She's _mine!!! _Just like _you _are!!" he laughed, almost maniacally. "_I own you!! But I don't need you! Just die! You would do the world a favor!" _


	14. Kyo to the Rescue

_Hey all! I'm back again... I'm glad you like my story so far! I'll do my best to keep up the good work (*determined glimmer!*)!! But, enough of my excitement. On to chapter 14! Wait... 14?!?!? Seriously? No way! Chapter 15 is next, lol the celebrated 15! Wish me luck all! Now then, on to CHAPTER 14!!!!!!_

_OoO_

_Akito whirled on him and unleashed his poison tongue. "You idiot monster! How dare you defy me! What I do with this girl is my choice! I own her! She's mine!!! Just like you are!!" he laughed, almost maniacally. "I own you!! But I don't need you! Just die! You would do the world a favor!" _

Inside of him, the spirit of the cat cowered, telling him to shrink back and submit to Akito's law. Kyo forced the feeling of fear back and snapped, "What do you think you were doing? You very well could've killed her!" he glanced at the girl, who was staring at him with wide blue eyes.

Akito glared at him and snapped, "_Punishing her! _She disobeyed what I said! She deserves it!" his furious expression cooled. He wave his hand, almost nonchalantly. "But I'm finished. Have a good day, my little monster. My pet." smiling as though nothing happened, he walked away.

"Geez, that guy is screwy in the head!" Kyo snarled, glaring after the head of the house. He turned to the girl, who seemed frozen where she stood. "Hey. Are you ok?"

Tears began filling her eyes; she blinked, then walked past him towards the door. "Th-thank you for helping me." she said, her voice cracking slightly. "Thank you, Kyo-san." She turned back and glanced at him one more time (were those tears running down her face?), then took off like a deer.

He stared after her, still feeling that nagging bit of familiarity at the back of his head. Ignoring the feeling, he shrugged and decided to go back to Shishou's house.

OoO

Tohru was shocked when she saw Kyo standing behind Akito. So shocked, in fact, she couldn't move. All she could do was stare at him. _Kyo..._ her mind whispered, almost longingly. Then he was talking. _Wait... _she though. _What is he saying? _The Akito turned away from her and said something she still didn't hear.

_What is going on? _She though, staring at the two. She was totally lost now.

Akito was walking away now and she finally zoned back in. "Geez, that guy is screwy in the head!" Kyo's voice made her heart beat faster. "Hey. Are you ok?" he was talking.

Talking to _her_! At this thought, tears filled her eyes. She had to get out of here before she started sobbing! She had to keep him from seeing her tears... so she thought fast and walked past him towards the door, doing her best to keep from sprinting away.

"Th-thank you for helping me." she said, but couldn't keep her voice from acting up, showing some of the emotions swirling inside of her. Tears were beginning to run down her face. She had to run or she would say things she would regret. So she did. She ran fast and hard away from the man she loved.


	15. Dreaming of an Unknown Someone

_CELEBRATED CHAPTER 15!! Can I get a WOOT WOOT! No, not seriously. Lol, but this is actually a chapter that I have been looking forward to!_ _I've got big ideas for you, Chapter 15! BBBIIIGGG!!! Ideas. You people out there will have massive fun with this one, I promise. Oh, and by the way I will explain things about this chapter in chapter sixteen. But for now... DRUM ROLE PLEASE!! CHAPTER 15!!!_

_OoO_

Kyo found it hard to sleep that night. For some reason, a reason he couldn't place, he kept thinking about the... maid maybe? That he had saved earlier. There wasn't much of a reason to think much about her... she wasn't necessarily pretty. Cute, like a little girl kind of cute, but not necessarily pretty. Maybe it was because Akito had called her 'my pet'?

He rolled over so he faced the wall. _I give up..._ he thought, curling into a ball and closing his eyes. Rather than fight his thoughts, he let them drift to wherever they wanted to go. Anywhere. He didn't care, as long as he could fall asleep.

Slowly, his consciousness drifted into darkness. The darkness that was known as sleep.

OoO

_The room he stood in was brightly lit, and smelled of freshly made miso soup. A girl stood by the stove, stirring the soup. She turned and looked at him. "Hello, Kyo-kun!" she said happily, and he could sense the smile in his voice. _

Who is she? _He wondered. He could make out her figure and her hair, which was long and brown, but her facial features were blurred and he couldn't see them clearly. _

"_How are you today, Kyo-kun?" she asked in a sweet voice; this voice made his heart pound in his chest and his emotions run in turmoil._

What is this feeling?_ He questioned himself. He watched her as she moved fluently across the room, obviously used to the routine of what she was doing. _

"_Kyo-kun." she turned suddenly. _

"_Yes?" he asked, and was startled at hearing his own voice. His voice and mouth moved and worked without his consent. _

_She rocked back and forth on her heals, and this movement seemed to be almost sheepish. He couldn't see her face, so he took her actions to signify her emotions. "Do... do you like anyone?"_

"_What?" again, his spoke without asking himself if he should speak. _

"_You know... like a crush." _

"_Actually... yeah. Yeah, I do." _I do?

"_Oh? Who?"_

_He moved towards her. _What am I doing?? If I hug her, I'll turn into a cat! _But he __kept moving towards her. _

"_What about you?" he asked, without answering her previous question. "Do you have a crush on anyone?"_

_She nodded. "Yes."_

"_Can I guess?" he asked. _Am I flirting?? _he wondered frantically. _Am I seriously **flirting???**

"_Go ahead." he drew closer and could smell the strangely wonderful smell she omitted. Was that... oranges?_

"_Is it me?" there faces drew closer. _Am I going to kiss her? What in the heck! Who is she?!? And why do I want to kiss her so badly??

_She giggled. "Yeah." and the distance between their lips closed. _

_Strawberries..._

_OoO_


	16. Strawberries

_Chapter 16... Ok, I lied. I won't explain things about 15 in sixteen... I ended up making it shorter than I wanted it to be (Agh! They are so short!!), so I'll end up telling you about it in 17... ok. Sorry about that. But anyways, heh, enjoy chapter 16!! And many more chapters to come! Enjoy!!_

_OoO_

_Strawberries..._

Kyo's eyes flew open. He sat up quickly, breathing hard. "Wh-What?" he threw the blanket off of him and stepped over to the window and threw it open. The fresh, cool air drifted in and he breathed deeply.

_Who was that...? _he wondered. _Why did I feel so... strange? Who could it possibly be?_

He remembered every single detail of the dream. He had felt so real, yet so fake at the same time. He had smelled oranges, and tasted strawberries. _I... didn't think I liked strawberries. _He thought to himself. _But... for some reason, now I do. I really, really want a strawberry right now... why? _

He grunted and moved, as quietly as he could downstairs. He didn't want to wake up Shishou. He searched there fridge, and the cabinets, but he didn't find anything strawberry flavored. "Hmm... nothing." he muttered out loud.

"What are you looking for?"

Kyo jumped and whirled around. "Sh-Shishou!" he exclaimed. "Oh, um, sorry. Didn't mean to wake you."

"That's ok." he replied. "I was going to get up soon anyways."

Kyo smiled sheepishly at him, then went back to his search.

"Anything you wanna talk about?"

"Well..."

"Well?"

"I had this dream, about this girl..."

"Girl? Who? Kagura?"

Kyo glared furiously. "No!! Why would I dream of her?? She's annoying as _heck!_"

"Uh-huh. Then who?"

"I-I don't know. I couldn't see her face. And she didn't say her name. All I know is that she smelled like oranges and tasted like strawberries..."

"_Tasted?_" Shishou asked, looking both amused and alarmed.

"Heh..." Kyo smiled, still looking sheepish. "Yeah. I kissed her."

"Ah, I see. Is that what you're looking for? Something that tastes like a strawberry?"

He grinned and turned away. "Yeah... I guess that is what I'm looking for."

Shishou laughed. "Unfortunately, we don't have any strawberry tasting things."

Kyo sighed in disappointment. "I wish I knew who she was, though..."


	17. A Plan is Born

Chapter 17... Yeah, I don't know what to do with this chapter. Again! I still have good ideas for this story, but not necessarily for this particular chapter! Wish me luck! And so we move onto Chapter 17!!! I still don't know what I'm going to do... I think I might go see how Yuki is doing.. Uotani? Hanajima? Oh dear... Maybe I should have Kagura attack Kyo? I'm so lost... sigh. OH, and by the way, those who were hoping for a new girlfriend for Kyo? I'm sorry... It just didn't quite fit for what I'm going for. And those who don't know where this is going? Hmm... I guess its a good thing that you don't know what I'm doing! _Mwa ha ha ha!! Ahem. Lol, keep reading this as I write, ok? And keep up with the good reviews! Oh, and the reason I update almost every day... heh, I have lot's of time on my hands. On to Chapter 17!!_

_OoO_

Hatori was trying to work, but, for the third day in a row, his mind was distracted by other things. Kazuma had visited him earlier today and told him a little about how Kyo was doing, without much asking from Hatori, he noted.

That man was like a proud father. Which he pretty much was.

And that was another thing that worried Hatori. Because Tohru had never excepted Kyo's true form, because his memories were erased, Kyo and Kazuma had never come to terms on the 'father, son' issue.

There was more. Kyo had had that dream. About a girl with long brown hair. In a brightly lit kitchen. Cooking. Ring a bell? It certainly connected for Hatori the second Kazuma had told him about it. Kyo was dreaming about Tohru, without actually remembering who she was.

This he found strange, but not strange at all. He was _sure_ that he had erased _all _of Kyo's memories of Tohru, but maybe he hadn't. Then again... what the mind forgets, the heart tends to remember.

But, he was also a little afraid of word seeping into Akito's ear. There would be hell to pay if the head caught word of this; not only for Hatori, but for Kyo and Tohru as well. And Akito was already ticked off enough.

He had heard of Akito's fit, and Kyo's rescue. Maybe this is why Kyo was dreaming of Tohru? He wasn't sure. But it seemed that Akito didn't want Tohru to associate with his Juunishi, from what he'd heard.

Hatori pondered this for a moment, then, and idea sparked in his mind. _Maybe that's what I need to do...!_ he thought, and reviewed this idea in his mind. _I can't _tell_ her how to retrieve their memories, but I can hint. _

Because, where there was a will, there was a way. And there was certainly a way.

"Hatori-kun!" a sweet, feminine voice called out from the open door down the hall. "Are you home?"

_One of the people I wanted to see. Good._ He thought, then called, "Come on in Tohru!"

She skipped in, looking happier than he had seen her in a long time. "Good morning, Hatori-kun!" she said, smiling brightly.

"Did Akito decide to let you out?"

She nodded. "I asked for his forgiveness for associating with Yuki-san and Kyo-san. He forgave me and told me I could keep serving him!" her smile was grateful.

"Good for you, Tohru." he said. "Did Akito send you down here?"

She nodded, her smile falling a little. "He said he is sick and needs you to examine him. Will you come Hatori-kun?"

Hatori smiled a rare smile. "Yes, I will. Go on back to him and tell him I'll be there in a moment. I need to get some things first."

"Ok!" she said brightly, and made her exit, maid's skirt flouncing around her knees as she trotted away.

"Good..." Hatori muttered aloud.

_And so, my plan will be put into action. _He thought, gathering his tools. And on that high note, he left his house and went to go tend to Akito.


	18. Seeds Planted

_Chapter 18... Already? I know I said this in... Chapter 14 maybe? But, it feels like I've written so much, but so little at the same time.. I've written more before, but I always wrote it, then typed it and got uber bored... Just cuz the process takes so long. I'm just typing this one, so I don't get bored as easily! Don't worry, I'm not giving up. Until I write this whole thing, I will not give up! I've got to many ideas swirling around in my mind... But, ok, on to Chapter 18! Enjoy!!_

_OoO_

Hatori knocked slightly before entering Akito's quarters. "Good morning, Akito." he greeted, keeping his voice bland.

"Hatori, I'm sick."

"Tohru told me. What are your symptoms?"

Akito began to rattle off the things that were ailing him as Hatori's mind raced. _How can I say this... tactfully? How do I bring this up without causing distrust? _He was half listening to Akito when he got an idea.

He continued to listen until the head was done; he stood up from where he was sitting and asked, "Where did Tohru go?"

Akito instantly stiffened. "What do you need _her _for?"

"I need to give her instructions for the medicine I'm going to give her for you to take. You have taken her on as your personal maid, correct?"

Akito merely glared.

"You know, if you hate her so much, you could find ways to make her suffer more. Don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" Akito asked, looking suspicious.

"I _mean_ don't you think the Juunishi's memories are buried deep enough for them to, I don't know, _meet_? It would hurt her more than you think, since she is the only one who remembers."

Akito pondered this. "There memories are completely gone?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it."

A slow grin crept up his face. "Then... I shall do as you suggested.

Hatori nodded and went to find Tohru, thinking, _Good. Part one complete. Get ready, Tohru. You may of lost the battle, but you're gonna win the war. _

_OoO_

Hatori found Tohru in the kitchen, cooking up some eggs for Akito. "Hello, Tohru."

She jumped and turned. "Oh! Hatori-kun! You scared me!" she smiled sweetly. "Do you need something?"

"Yes, Tohru, I do. I need to tell you a couple of things."

"Oh? Ok. Is it about Akito's illness."

Hatori looked up towards the ceiling and nodded. "Yes, that's one thing."

She smiled brightly. "Ok, Hatori-kun! I'm listening. Go ahead."

Hatori gave her brief instructions on when to give Akito the medicine he was prescribing to him, then he fell silent. The only sound in the room was Tohru stirring the eggs around in the skillet.

"Umm... Was there something else you wanted to say, Hatori-kun?" Tohru asked nervously, glancing at him over her shoulder.

"Yes." he leaned forward intently. "Have you given up on working to break the curse?"

She froze and didn't reply.

"Because, you know, I'm sure there are some texts in Akito's library that could help you with how to do that."

She fidgeted nervously. "Oh, but Hatori-kun, I wouldn't want Akito to get mad at me..."

"Are you afraid of him?"

"Y-yes..."

"Why?"

"He's bigger than I am...?"

"That's not a good reason."

"I-I know."

"Don't you want to free Kyo?"

She sniffled, and he knew she was probably crying. "Y-yes!"

"Then you decide." Hatori said, then walked away.

_Seed planted. _He thought, satisfied with his days 'work'. _Tohru will find a way._

Because where there's a will, there's a way.


	19. Thinking

_Today I am giving my cat a bath... I know its weird. I might not put as many chapters up as I want to, but I've already put up... two? Yeah, I think its two. But anyways, I have NO IDEA what I'm going to write in this section... so wish me luck! Chapter 19! Next shall be celebrated Chapter 20!! Enjoy Chapter 19 :D _

_OoO_

Tohru couldn't sleep. She had been locked in the cat's room just around sunset, and that was hours ago. But that wasn't necessarily the reason she couldn't sleep. In fact, she had become quite used to sleeping in this small dark room.

No, this wasn't why she was having sleeping troubles. It was what Hatori had said that had her mind reeling. _Have I given up? _She wondered, and searched herself for the answer.

She finally came to the conclusion that, yes, she had given up. Her first goal was to release all of the members of the zodiac from their curse. But slowly, with the age of time, she had decided, unconsciously, that if that failed, she would at least keep Kyo out of confinement. And after she had made her deal with Akito, she had let go of any ideas of breaking the curse.

_Should I try to break it...? _she wondered to herself. _Maybe Hatori-kun is right... Maybe there would be some clue on how to break it in Akito's library! _Akito rarely entered the small room that was attached to his quarters. He didn't like to read.

But one thing kept her from making a firm choice of whether or not she would try. And this was the going against Akito part. She didn't want him to get mad at anyone. Maybe if she asked him to look in his library...? What would her excuse be though, to use it?

Tonight would be a long night...

OoO

Akito paced his quarters, grinning as he thought. At the moment, his main goal was to make Tohru Honda suffer as much as he could. He would make sure that she acutely felt the pain of loss and suffering.

What he had been doing so far had been satisfying, for a time, but soon it became not enough. When she started smiling like she didn't have a care in the world... he shuddered. He hated that smile. He hated that girl. He hated it every time one of his Juunishi was even within two miles of her!

But, he would make an exception if it caused her pain. He would allow her to be around his Juunishi, if it made her hurt so bad that she never smiled again! As long as she didn't try to... bring them back to where they were at when their memories were erased. They were to chipper for Akito's taste.

He preferred how they were now; Kyo angry and pounding people to pulp. Yuki silent and pounding Kyo to pulp. Kagura chasing Kyo around like a love struck fan girl. _This _was how it was supposed to be.

And this was how it was going to stay.


	20. Shigure

_**CELEBRATED CHAPTER 20!!!!!! **Twenty chapters... wow! Gee, that's a lot, eh? And yet, not so much at all... :( But I'm glad all of you are staying with me! I'm really great full for all the comments your leaving me! At this rate, this story will be like, really long, with really short chapters. Wish me luck and keep reading! But, on to Chapter 20!!_

_OoO_

Tohru flitted through the tasks that Akito assigned her to do, in a fairly good mood. She had thought almost all night last night and finally came to a decision.

She would try to break the curse. She had to. Even if they never remembered her. Even if she would never talk to them as a friend again. Even if...

Tohru shook her head hard, shaking these depressing thoughts out of her mind. _Fight! _She thought, turning back to her task of cleaning a window in Akito's room. _I must fight on!_ She was determined.

As she scrubbed she began to hum merrily. After she had made this decision, it was like a weight had lifted off her shoulders. She was so glad that she had decided to at least try!

"Hello. Who's this?"

"Eep!" she shrieked and whirled. "O-oh!"

Shigure stood there, an eyebrow cocked and a smile on his lips.

"Oh, um, Shigure-san! Hello!"

"It seems that you know me and I don't know you."

Tohru forced herself to keep a smile on her face. She had almost forgotten that Shigure's memories had been erased. "I-I'm Tohru Honda... I'm, um, Akito's maid, I guess you would say."

"You 'guess'?" He asked, cocking his eyebrow even more. "Oh, well, it doesn't matter. Where has Akito ran off to? Do you know, by any chance?"

She tapped her chin and pondered this for a minute. "I think he went to go visit with Yuki-san... but I'm not for certain. Maybe if you asked one of the other maids? They may have seen him."

He nodded. "Thank you." he left the room, then poked his head back in. "Your really cute you know. You could've done better than a maid." and he was gone.

Tohru blushed. "Th-thank you, Shigure-san...!" she called after him. She paused for a moment, pondering their brief encounter. Then she smiled. "I'll free you, Shigure-san. I promise I will."


	21. Desicion to Introduce

_Chapter 21. So much written, yet so little. I don't have much to say up here... oh wait! I gave my cat a bath and came out with just two scratches! And one was my fault... I stepped on the cat brush and stabbed my foot. :D My cat is clean though, so I'm happy. But, anyways, on to Chapter 21! Enjoy to the fullest!_

_OoO_

_Strawberries..._

Kyo woke up slowly, savoring the taste of strawberries on his lips. He had dreamed the same dream almost every night for several days now. Though he still had no idea who this girl was, he still loved to have this dream.

Awake and refreshed, he jumped out of bed and stretched, then he remembered. A meeting with Akito today... he moaned and collapsed back on his bed. He _hated _Akito. He hated having meetings with him. The main reason he hated it was because it was usually all of the rest of the Juunishi too.

He would have to deal with Kagura's obsessive love and Yuki's glares, though since he had stopped talking, he didn't have to deal with his mean comments. He would have to deal with Momiji's hyper-ness and Ayame's stupidity.

All of this made him angry, and whatever good mood he had had disappeared. He growled angrily and slammed his fist onto his bed. "This _sucks!_" he snapped to the empty air in front of him.

But there was a bright side. When he got home, he could home he could take a nap. And this he happily welcomed.

_Strawberries..._

OoO

"Honda!"

Tohru jumped around and said, on alert, "Yes, Akito-san!"

"I'm having a meeting with the Juunishi today. You will attend and serve us snacks and drinks!" at this, the head of the house turned and glided away.

_Wha-What? _She thought, surprised beyond words. The broom that she had in her hands dropped and fell to the floor with a clatter. She jumped, surprised and glanced around. "Wait... Wait, what?" wide eyed, she picked up her broom.

"Tohru, are you ok?"

She shrieked and lifted her broom to protect herself.

"Its just me, Tohru."

She opened her eyes and glanced around. "Oh, um, hello, Hatori-kun."

"So I guess Akito told you about our meeting, huh?" he asked, sticking his hands in his suit pant pockets.

"Yeah." tears filled her eyes and she ducked her head. "W-Why is he letting me 'meet' them, Hatori-kun? I-I'm not sure if I can do this..."

He tilted her chin up so that their eyes met. "You can do this Tohru. Just be yourself. That's what helped them before. Bring them back and heal them. I know you can do this."

She wiped her cheeks and blushed. "Th-thank you, Hatori-kun."

He smiled. "You're welcome, Tohru. I'll see you later." he strode off, blank face set in place.

Tohru smiled. _Thank you, Hatori-kun. _


	22. Recognition?

_Chapter 22? That's what I'm on, right? Yeah, its 22! Good good... Its kind of sad... this story has progressed pretty far, but not so far at all! This might turn into a REALLY long story. But, well, stick with me till then end and you won't be too disappointed! Have fun reading Chapter 22!_

_OoO_

Kyo was glaring furiously as he entered Akito's quarters; rather, he slammed into his quarters. He was so furious he nearly broke the door down. Whatever good mood he had been in this morning had disappeared dramatically. Maybe it was this cursed meeting? Maybe it was his stinging hand and wrist and arm? He had hit a punching bag wrong (because he was daydreaming about a certain unknown someone), and was now paying the consequences.

He was lucky, though, since there was only four people in the room. Akito, of course, Hatori, Kureno and someone that he couldn't see very well. It was a girl, that much he could tell, but she stood back in the shadows of the room.

Akito rose to greet him and he stiffened. "Hello, my little monster." he said, hugging Kyo.

Kyo merely growled low in his throat, not bothering to return the fake nice comment or hug. Yanking away from the head, he sat down angrily on one of the cushions that had been sat out for the Juunishi members.

This day could only go from bad to worse.

OoO

Tohru's heart began to race as soon as Kyo stepped in the room. Seeing him made her sad, and joyous all at the same time. She was so glad he was ok. She was so glad he was ok.

Hatori stepped over and whispered, sounding concerned. "You're not having second thoughts about doing this, right?"

She shook her head. "No. I... I want to meet them... I really do! But I can't help but wonder why Akito is doing this... I mean, what is he planning? If he's planning anything."

Hatori shrugged. "We'll just have to wait and see, Tohru. But like I said before, be yourself, ok."

She smiled. "Ok, Hatori-kun. I will."

OoO

Kyo watched the brief exchange between Hatori and the girl he couldn't see. There whispering was making him nervous. But he couldn't hear them, no matter how hard he strained.

But his attention was interrupted when Yuki walked in the room. Both of them glared at each other, and would've started a fight, if Akito hadn't interrupted. "Yuki!" he said, sounding gleeful. "Come, come sit by me."

Looking a little afraid, but still glaring at Kyo, he made his way over to Akito and sat down. "Honda!" Akito said, as soon as Yuki sat down.

The girl in the shadows stepped into the light, and Kyo instantly recognized her. _Hey, that's the girl..._


	23. Recipe for Disaster

_How'd you like my cliff hanger? I hope it was good... And again, I'd like to thank you for all the comments! I'm glad that most of you are keeping up with my story. I'm glad its at least slightly interesting. By the way, I actually kind of like Akito, even though he's the bad guy. I find it amusing how he can 'turn it on and off'. Like, one second he's being all friendly and nice to this person, then in another second he can turn around and hit that same person over the head in furry. I have fun writing about him. Anyways, hope you enjoy Chapter 23!! Next celebrated chapter is number 25! Stick with me till then! I hope you like Chapter 23 to the fullest!_

OoO

_The girl in the shadows stepped into the light, and Kyo instantly recognized her. Hey, that's the girl..._

_...that I rescued from Akito the other day!_

The girl bent down and Akito whispered in her ear. She smiled brightly, and said, sounding excited, "Ok, Akito-san!" and she, skipping practically, left the room.

_Is that Akito's 'type' now?_ Kyo wondered. _I didn't think that he enjoyed the happy-go-lucky kind..._ But Kyo shrugged these thoughts off. It was Akito's choice, anyway. He was the only person who could decide who he would associate with.

And among these thoughts he shrugged off? The vague feeling of recognition.

OoO

Tohru felt her heart sink when Yuki came into the room. He looked _so_ depressed. It made her sad. Unlike the feeling she had felt when Kyo entered the room, both joyous and sad, she couldn't truthfully say that she felt happy when she saw Yuki. She felt _horrible!_ She felt depressed, because that was how Yuki looked.

_I don't think I've ever seen him so sad..._ she thought to herself.

"Honda!" Akito snapped at her, yanking her from her thoughts. She stepped over to him and leaned down, listening for his orders. "Hurry and fetch a pitcher of tea and a pitcher of water, understand? Get some snacks too. I don't care what, just get some." he said gruffly.

She smiled brightly and straightened. "Ok, Akito-san!" she said happily, and hurried from the room, trying her best to conceal the happy bounce in her step. Even though Yuki's depression made her feel depressed, she found it not a good reason to keep her spirits down. She had to be herself! And her normal self was happy and chipper.

And that was what she decided she would be.

OoO

Akito was furious, but he hid it well. This idea the Hatori had suggested wasn't working! She hadn't even vaguely _looked _sad. But, of course, he hadn't watched her the whole time. Maybe she was just a little depressed. Aha! Idea! He would let her stew about it, leaving her in the cat's room for a few days.

Maybe that would bring her down. Oh, he so hoped it would bring her down! He wanted her to suffer as much as possible. He believed that she truly deserved it.

OoO

Tohru hummed happily as she scurried around the kitchen, finding pitchers and snacks for the Juunishi members. She had put herself in a good mood, and was practically dancing across the floor as she rushed around to collect things. _This is good! _She told herself. _Good mood! This is great! _She felt on top of the world.

After she had gathered snacks and drinks, tea, water, cookies, a small bowl of hard candy, a chocolate cake she had baked earlier that day specifically for the meeting, vegetables and some fruit, she was faced with a difficult problem.

She stared at the array of food and drinks she had prepared for the Juunishi. _Now, how do I get it all there...? _she wondered, staring wide eyed at the full counter. _Maybe I should get help... _she thought, and stuck her head out of the door to glance down the hallway. There was no one to be seen.

"I'll carry as much as I can, and then come back!" she said out loud, a determined glitter in her eye. And with that, she balanced the fruit and vegetable trays on her forearms, carried the cake in one hand and held the two pitchers in the other hand. _Good! _She thought happily. _All I have left is the candy and cookies!_

And she pushed her way out the door.


	24. Crash Landing

_Tohru, you dummy! This certainly is a recipe for disaster! Hence, the title of the chapter. For a while, when I was first writing, I didn't really want to name the chapters, but I ended up doing so anyways. It was so boring just reading 'Chapter 7' when I was looking at the story... So I named them! I don't quite remember what I named them all... Oh well. Enjoy Chapter 24!!_

_OoO_

Tohru walked down the hallway, walking in shaky lines. It was hard to multi-task! She had to concentrate on walking, while at the same time keep the water and tea from spilling, while also remembering to keep holding on the the cake and balance the fruit and vegetables!

Every so often, as she made her way down the long hall, she would stop walking all together, because she was concentrating so hard on one of the other three things she had to do. Then she would realize, _Oh! Walking! I need to walk! _And she would continue down the hall at a snails pace.

The room Akito was in was very far away! It was down at least six halls, that were, to the lowest degree, five yards long, and at the most, ten yards long! This house sure was huge!

_This is going to take a while...! _she thought, looking down the second of the halls in dismay. _I hope Akito doesn't get mad..._

OoO

Akito waited for ten minutes before he became extremely furious with the girl who had run to get them snacks. Furry blurring his Akito sense, he snarled, standing up. "Yuki! Kyo! Go see what's taking that made so long!" By now, everyone was there, so there wasn't much reason to choose those to, except to stir up trouble.

Which was what Akito wanted.

The two hesitated, inciting Akito's displeasure. "**Go!! Now!!!**" he practically screamed, pointing towards the door in a dramatic way. The only reason it was dramatic was because he was so angry he couldn't tell the difference between normal and over emphasized.

The two boys jumped up and left the room at break-neck speed.

OoO

Kyo was furious. First, Akito had sent _Yuki _to go with him. The hated rat. "Stupid Akito! Stupid Akito!" he grumbled, walking quickly, trying to keep away from the guy he hated so much.

But this hated person kept up the pace, not speaking. Because the rat was being silent, Kyo kept silent, at least mostly, except for a few grumblings about the rat and Akito.

They were rounding corner number four when...

OoO

Tohru was concentrating hard; the corners she had to turn were the hardest. She had to keep herself from tipping as she turned, so she didn't spill the fruits and veggies. She rounded the corner, but didn't notice the two young men coming at her.

Disaster struck then. The cake ended up squished into the face of the person on the right, and the water and tea drenching the other person, while the fruits and veggies ended up scattered in all directions.

How this happed exactly? Well, as she turned the corner, she collided with the two young men. Her first instinct was to wave her arms to keep from falling backwards, thus resulting in the flinging of the fruits and veggies.

This also helped with the drenching of water and tea, though it did not completely drench yet. This happened when the young man on the right reached out to grab her wrist, to keep her from falling. With a jerk, she was upright.

And this induced the squishing of cake and splashing of liquid. As she was jerked forward, she lost balance, and, instead of falling backwards, fell forwards, nearly landing against the man on the right. Luckily, this did not happen. Something in her brain connected, and she realized that these persons were probably of the Juunishi. So, she twisted her body so she was falling in between the two men.

The hand with the cake somehow flew upwards and connected with face. And the other hand flung forward to so she could catch herself. Which, just the luck of the person on the left, he had stepped back and got a full on drenching.

And before, she knew it, Tohru was on the ground, balance gone, and hope of salvaging the snacks ruined.

OoO

Kyo didn't know what had caused him to reach out and catch the maid girl's wrist as she was falling backwards, but he did. This was probably why he was now lying on his back with cake in his face. "Ugh...!" He grunted, sitting up and wiping cake from his eyes.

The girl he had tried to save was also on her back, looking absolutely shocked at what had just happened. Yuki was drenched from, almost literally, head to foot. He turned back to the girl, who was sitting up now and turned to face Yuki, on her knees.

She looked at him, her blue eyes wide. Suddenly, her face broke into a smile and she began giggling hysterically. "K-Kyo-kun! Sohma-kun! Y-you look so-so f-funny!" she choked between giggles and hiccups.

Yuki merely stared at her, and Kyo was having the same reaction. Then he glanced at Yuki, then back at her. He briefly imagined how silly he looked, and found laughter bubbling up in his chest. His body then moved on its own accord. "Ya think its funny?" he growled, grinning. "Well, take this!" he scooped up a handful of chocolate cake off the ground and squished it into her face.

She laughed, and that was how a major food fight broke out.


	25. Happy Not For Long

_In truth, I'm not quite sure how well the chapter titles fit the chapters, but I do my best. Like I said before, chapters aren't exactly my thing. Details aren't really either, though I do my best! Anyways, I am going to have so much fun writing this celebrated chapter! Have fun! CHAPTER 25!!!!!!_

_OoO_

Tohru was having a whole bunch of fun; first of all, she had completely forgotten that she wasn't necessarily supposed to interact with Kyo and Yuki. She was glad to see them both smile, like in the old days as the battle raged forth. They were all now covered in the chocolate cake she had made, which, it might be added, was actually a large double decker cake.

And Yuki was laughing! At first, the laugh had sounded hoarse and a little out of use, but now it was a full on laugh. When was the last time the three had had fun like this? Even if Kyo and Yuki were enemies, they still had lots of laughs back in the day.

Oh, she loved this feeling. Even if they didn't remember her, she was happy. She was sincerely happy.

OoO

Kyo was having so much fun; he couldn't think of the last time he had had this much fun. He couldn't remember ever having fun that even came close to this! He never would've thought that he would be having fun with Yuki involved though... And he most certainly never would've guess that he would be having fun with a girl he had hardly ever met before.

But at the moment, he sure as heck didn't care. He was pretty well lost in the moment, laughing and throwing cake. But the moment was short lived sadly, when the worst person who could possibly come, came.

"_**WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!???"**_ anybody in the entire Sohma household would've recognized that voice instantly, and Kyo certainly did.

All three of them whirled, and came face to face with, he guessed it, Akito. No one seemed to have an answer for the furious head of the house. They all seemed frozen with shock.

_Oh, great. _Kyo thought. _Now I get to hear a whole bunch of crap from Akito for making a mess. _

But Akito wasn't looking at him, or at Yuki for that matter. Rather, he was looking at the maid, who was looking pale right around now, even through the chocolate mask that splattered her face.

"A-Akito!" she said, seeming to just now realize who was confronting them.

The man was furious, and this was obvious.

"YOU IMBECEL!" he screamed at her, face turning red with furry. "_How dare you mess with my things!!! I never should've let you meet them again!"_ he reached forward and grabbed her wrist and began dragging her away from the scene of the mess. "_I never should've let you out of that room!!! That was our deal to begin with! You are never going to see daylight again!!"_

"I-I'm sorry!" she sobbed, trying not to trip as he dragged her. "I-i-it was an accident!"

Suddenly, someone appeared from down the hall. It was Hatori. "Akito!" he said, cutting the man off. "Let her go!"

Akito stopped and stared at Hatori, looking both confused and wildly angry. "Hatori! Move! You have no right to get in the way of my business with me and my things!" at least he wasn't screaming anymore.

"Akito." Hatori said slowly, and Kyo knew he was resisting the dragon's voice inside him. "Let. Her. Go."

"I won't!" he yelled, clamping down on the girl's wrist tighter. "I won't let her go! I'm in charge of you! I don't have to listen to you!"

"Akito. Let go. I'll take her from here."

Akito weakened. "O-ok, Hatori. I'll let you take her." he seemed calm now.

_That was weird..._ Kyo thought as he watched the girl and Hatori walk away. _I've never actually seen Akito react that way to anyone... Maybe he's changing?_

Maybe we're all changing.


	26. It's all I've got

_Chapter 26... yep. Actually, the last two chapters didn't go as I originally planned... but I'm satisfied with the results! Oh, and it wasn't as funny as I pictured it in my head. Sorry, humor isn't my thing. :D But keep with me and enjoy Chapter 26! _

_OoO_

Tohru pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face into the fabric of her dress. How could she forget? How could she do that? How could she put Kyo and Yuki in that kind of danger? And how could she put her plan to break the curse in that kind of danger? If Akito had questioned her... she probably would've broke, as she did the last time he had confronted her in anger.

Hatori was making her tea; they were at his house. She was thankful that he had rescued her from Akito's wrath, but was afraid that it might get him in trouble. He came back just then, looking grim and with tea in his hands. "Are you ok, Tohru?" he asked, setting the tea on a small table a few feet away.

"I... I guess I am." she said quietly. "I don't know why I did that. I... I guess I forgot. Akito isn't mad at them, is he?" she asked, glancing up at him briefly.

"I think he's calmed down." he said. "You should be grateful I was there. He probably would've hurt you pretty bad."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I know... and I really am glad that you were there, Hatori-kun. Thanks." she smiled at him, opening her eyes briefly.

He smiled back at her briefly. "Your welcome. Now then. I'm going to go speak with Akito. You stay here and enjoy the tea I made, ok?"

"O-ok."

Hatori was halfway out the door when she asked, "Um, Hatori? What are you going to talk to Akito about?"

Hatori smiled again. "Nothing you need to worry about, Tohru. I'll be back soon. If anyone knocks on the door, don't answer, ok?"

She nodded and watched him leave the room.

OoO

Hatori entered Akito's room without knocking. The head of the house was alone, seeming to be sulking. "Akito." Hatori said, then prepared himself to say more.

"Hatori?" Akito asked, sounding almost scared. "Why is she taking them away from me? Even though I took her away from them, she still seems to take them from me." he looked sad.

Hatori sighed slightly, and said, "Maybe revenge isn't the way to go, Akito."

"But... she'll take them away from me for good! The... the Juunishi is all I have."

Hatori sighed. "I know that Akito."

The Juunishi is all I have.


	27. He Knows

_Chapter 27. This story is turning really lengthy... I don't think I've even reached the climax yet! Then again, maybe I have. It's going to be really long... oh well. Just stick with me till the end, and I promise that you will be satisfied! Enjoy Chapter 27 to the fullest!_

_OoO_

Hatori had talked with Akito for half an hour or more. He shut the door behind him and leaned against the door. Akito had told him a lot; so much that he wasn't quite sure what to do with it all. But there was one thing he was forbidden to do with the information he was given.

He couldn't tell anyone.

That was the catch to all this knowledge. He couldn't tell a single person.

And the thing was, there was someone who needed to know this more than he did. Because, now, he, someone who was possessed by the curse, knew how to undo it.

OoO

Tohru was now assigned to serve Hatori. She didn't know how this had happened, nor why it happened, but it did. Hatori had given her the document written by Akito and had walked away. She was glad. Now she would have a chance to find a way to break the curse!

She was up early the next morning; she had slept well the night before! Hatori had let her sleep one of the two guest bedrooms in his house. He had explained that the one filled with rabbits was the one Momiji stayed in when the boy got to lonely and came to visit him.

She cooked a lot of food, only for the sake of something for her hands to do. But she was thinking at the same time, which was a dangerous concept! She spilled things more than she usually did and was making a bigger mess than she intended. But, she had it all cleaned up before Hatori came into the room.

Hatori came in around seven, dressed in his usual suit, but still looking sleepy and bleary eyed.

"Good morning, Hatori-kun!" she said brightly, pushing a cup of coffee in his hands. "I didn't know how you liked your coffee, so I just left it black! The sugar and milk are over there if you like it any other way!"

Hatori muttered something and sipped at the hot coffee.

"I made breakfast!" she exclaimed. "Please enjoy it, Hatori-kun! I already ate! I'll be cleaning the rest of the house if you need me!" and she skipped off.

"... she's to hyper for seven in the morning..." Hatori muttered, but couldn't help but smile. If she was going to be cleaning the house, than maybe it wouldn't be so hard for her to figure out how to break the curse.


	28. Addiction to Strawberries

_That last one was really short, huh? Well, I'm currently running out of things to type. It'll heat up soon hopefully. At the moment, I'm listening to LOTS of music, hoping for inspiration... I think I might bring Momiji in soon... man, I love that little guy. His is SOOOO cute!! But anyways, enjoy Chapter 28!_

_OoO_

Tohru was skipping down the hall; she was happy. She liked Hatori's house. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny. She enjoyed cleaning, thought there wasn't much to clean. Hatori kept his house very clean. That meant that there was very little to clean.

She had explored almost all of the rooms in the house, under permission from Hatori, of course. And she had come to the conclusion that the library was her favorite room. She had had to dust a lot in this room; apparently it wasn't used much. She wondered why.

There seemed to be hundreds of books! The room was not very large, but the shelves were packed with books, both fiction and non-fiction. Some had medical information, some were about mythical things, and some were even mangas. She loved to read.

And maybe, just maybe, there was something about the breaking of the curse somewhere in this room of knowledge. Maybe she could save them after all.

OoO

Kyo seemed to be dreaming about his mystery girl more and more. He was now obsessed with strawberry hard candy, of which his Shishou did his best to keep away from him. He almost always had a piece in his mouth; it was addicting, that sweet strawberry taste that haunted his dreams.

He was also becoming addicted to the smell of oranges. He wondered if this was strange.

This was driving him nuts! Off the wall! He wasn't sure if he could stand this much longer... he wanted to know who this girl was! He wanted to know _so badly! _He wondered if he should see if there was a mental disorder that had something to do with obsession with strawberries and oranges...? Nah. He'd be ok.

Even if there was some such disorder, which he doubted there was, he quite enjoyed his obsession with taste and smell. It made him think of the girl he dreamed of. He loved to think of her, even though he didn't know who she was or how he knew her.

He wondered why she appeared in his dreams at all. Maybe she was someone he once knew? But if he had liked her so much, how could he have forgotten her? If he loved how she tasted now, why wouldn't he have loved it then? He still wasn't sure...

Maybe he should talk to someone after all... But who would he talk to? Most people would call him a weird person if they knew why he was obsessed with strawberry candy and the smell of oranges... but, then again, he wouldn't blame them for thinking that, thought if they said it he would pound them.

Maybe Hatori would help him...? He was a doctor after all.


	29. NoReason Visit

_Ahh... That was a fun chapter to write! Kyo is obsessed with strawberries.. lol, me personally? Oranges. Oranges all the way. I like strawberries too, but I like oranges more. I like pineapples as well... I like sour stuff. I like artificial grape taste, too, like Jolly Ranchers. Anyways... Enjoy Chapter 29! Next is chapter 30 (really?!?!?). Enjoy!_

_OoO_

"Coming!" Tohru called, trotting towards the door in a bouncy manner. Someone was at the door, and she was going to answer it. She was pretty sure Hatori was around somewhere... that was the only time she could open the door, was when he was around.

She threw open the door and stopped in surprise...

OoO

Kyo knocked on the door and waited. He had somehow ended up in front of Hatori's house... no particular reason. He had decided to... make an unimportant, not necessarily to discuss anything kind of visit.... just a random, normal visit.

"Coming!" he heard a feminine voice yell from inside the house.

Then the door was thrown open, and a chipper young female stood there. He recognized her instantly. "Oh, hey. You're the girl from yesterday...?" he said.

She smiled, and he felt almost blinded by the intensity of it. He squinted. He grunted, then asked, "Is Hatori around?" he asked.

She smiled again. "Yes! I'm sure he is! Come inside whiles I look for him, ok?"

"Ok." he said.

She turned and started walking down the hallway. "Hatori-kun!" she called. "You have a guest!"

Kyo followed her. Suddenly, he realized something. _Do I smell oranges? _He wondered, glancing around. He sniffed again. _I do smell oranges..._ _Where's it coming from? Maybe there's a candle somewhere. It smells really good..._

He was concentrating so hard on the smell that he didn't realize that the maid girl had stopped. He nearly ran into her, which would've been bad, of course. He would've turned into a cat. 

"I think Hatori is in his office. Go ahead and go in there!" she smiled, glancing back at him. "If you need anything, I'll be around." then she trotted off, walking past him towards the way they had come.

He instantly caught a whiff of oranges as she past. But, he didn't notice. And instead, continued walking into Hatori's office.


	30. That was Wierd

_74 Ah.... Chapter 30, huh? Sight, and not much had happened to drastically progress the story at all... oh well. I have big plans for chapter 30-33! So you will have fun. It might end around 40, though... this is going to be long! I'm kind of afraid that no one will read it after I finish writing it because there are so many chapters! Oh well. I'll survive. Enjoy Celebrated Chapter 30! Wait, quick side note... Thanks for all the reviews! 34! 34! WOO HOO!!! All your comments are awesome! And again, I so apologize for such short chapters!!! Agh, every time I say to myself, 'This ones gonna be long!' it never is... sigh. I'm sorry. Chapter 30! Enjoy!_

_OoO_

Kyo stood nervously in the door of Hatori's office, not sure if he should speak and take the attention of the doctor, who seemed to be deep in thought... or asleep. One of the two. He was sitting at his desk, with his chin in his hands and his elbows on the table with a book in between them.

_Maybe I should leave...?_ Kyo thought, then decided, _Nah. He'll be fine. _"Hatori!" he said, stepping in the room.

The man jerked, nearly falling against the table he was sitting at in shock.

_He was asleep..._ Kyo thought in shock. _Wait... Hatori sleeps? _

Hatori sat upright and muttered something, rubbing his eyes. "Mmm... Kyo! This is strange." he stood up and motioned for Kyo to come in. "Sit down... Just a second. Tohru!" he called, leaning out the door. "Come here a second, please."

"Coming Hatori-kun!" she called from whatever part of the house she was in. Kyo sat down on a chair that was in the room and waited for Hatori to be finished with whatever he needed from the maid.

The girl trotted into the room, saying brightly, "Yes, Hatori-kun? What can I do for you?" she looked almost like a puppy; with big, eager-to-please eyes.

"Go fix some coffee for me please, and bring Kyo some tea."

She nodded vigorously. "Ok, Hatori-kun! I'll be back."

_She reminds me of someone..._ Kyo thought, watching her skip out of the room. _But who...?_

Hatori turned back to him. "Ok, Kyo, you have my full attention. What's up?"

Kyo fidgeted nervously. _Why did I come here again...? Oh yeah... Heh, I guess I didn't think this through. I mean come on..._ "Well, um..."

"I'm assuming its about the dreams you have been having." Hatori said, almost flippantly.

Kyo, to be completely honest, was shocked. He did his best to keep his mouth closed. "Heh?"

"Kazuma told me when he was asking me how he could stop an addiction to... What was it? Strawberry candy?" he raised an eyebrow at Kyo.

Heat flooded into Kyo's cheeks, and he glanced down. "I guess I should've expected that..." he muttered.

"And you still don't know who this girl is." Hatori said with a wry tinge to his voice. "I guess _I _should've expected that."

But Kyo didn't hear the last sentence Hatori said, because just at that moment, the maid came trouncing in, saying brightly, and a little loudly, it might be added, "Hatori-kun! I brought your coffee and some snacks too!" she set the tray down on the desk that Hatori had been sitting at when Kyo had come in. She smiled at them, then said, "I'll be in the library if you need me!"

"Your... new maid?" Kyo asked, as the scent of oranges wafted past his nose again. He was obviously trying to change the subject.

"That, unfortunately, is none of your business."

Kyo, naturally, took put this swiftly into a category marked 'suspicious'.

"About your dreams... Kazuma didn't say whether or not you knew who she was. Do you know?"

"No... I don't. I can see everything below her chin and her hair, but her face is all... blurry."

Hatori sighed. "So you don't know... I guess you did forget..."

"Forget? Forget what?" Kyo asked curiously.

Hatori waved his hand. "Nothing, nothing."

_That was weird..._


	31. The Beginning of the End

_Hello! Welcome to the beginning of the end! Chapter 31.. Yep, this will begin the story of the end. Though, I think that it may end around chapter 40... maybe. I'm not sure. And Akito... He ended up being a guy. Though I have never watched the anime. I don't know... I just couldn't bring myself to type 'her'. So, he's a guy, at least in this story. Enjoy the Beginning of the End. Chapter 31!_

_OoO_

Akito could feel it. He could feel something moving. He knew it had started moving long, long ago. But now... he could feel it strongly. Stronger than than he ever had. But... for some reason... he couldn't bring himself to care. Maybe it was the fact that he was burning with fever? Maybe it was because, truly, he didn't care at all.

Maybe this really was the beginning of the end.

OoO

_Its... so... so late. _Tohru thought, blurry eyed. This was the twenty-third book she had read today. _I really... should go to bed. _She paused. _I'll... finish this one book. Just one more... For the Juunishi. For Kyo. _

And, so, she diligently set off, reading the book slowly, looking for any clues that would help her reach the end.

OoO

Kyo was dreaming again, about a sweet unknown angel who had lips that tasted like strawberries...

_He and the girl he was dreaming about were standing in the middle of the woods on a well worn path, leading somewhere he didn't know. Her name crackled out of his mouth, and he couldn't understand what he said. He knew he was going to say more, but she interrupted him. _

"_Kyo-kun? Would you be sad... if I went away?"_

_He wanted to kiss her... that was part of the reason he loved this dream. The kiss; he also loved her voice, the way she looked, even if he couldn't see her face, the way she smelled, the way she talked... the list went on. "Of course I would. I love you." he could say those words in his dreams without being afraid. _

"_I love you too. But... would you remember me always if I left?" her voice was as sweet as sugar. _

"_How could I forget you."_

_She stepped away, turning, so her back was to him, and said. "But you did forget..."_

_She turned back to him, and for only a few brief milliseconds, her face was clear. _

_And in that instant, he _woke up.

OoO

Kyo sat up. _Wait, wait, wait!!! _he thought, looking around, panicked. _What did she look like!?!? **What did she look like????**_ But by now, the dream had already faded into the back of his mind.

And he had already forgotten.


	32. Man on a Mission

_Chapter 32. Yep. Wow. I know, its a lot... and I've only been writing for a week maybe? Around then, I think. And, so now the announcement is made that the end is near, I'm pretty confident that the story will be wrapping up soon. Its been a long trek... or a short one. I'm not sure which one I should call it... But enjoy Chapter 32!_

_OoO_

Tohru woke up early the next morning, and found that she hadn't had enough sleep. She cooked breakfast and yawned almost the whole time. When Hatori walked into the room, she was almost to sleepy to great him.

And Hatori took notice of this. "You stayed up to late last night, Tohru." he commented.

"Mm-hmm..." she hummed. "You stayed up late too, Hatori-kun."

He sighed. "It's part of my job... It's a requirement. Have you had any luck so far?"

"No... I'm going to look again today. You don't mind do you, Hatori-kun?" she asked.

"Go ahead. I don't mind."

Tohru smiled, and said, a little brighter than she had been a moment ago, "Thanks, Hatori. I'll clean up first, ok?"

"Just go ahead and continue your search. The house is already spotless."

"But..."

"No buts. Just look, ok? I've given you my permission, so go ahead."

She nodded. "Ok, Hatori-kun. Thank you." she left the room, stumbling a little.

"Sleep well..." Hatori muttered, opening up the morning paper.

OoO

Kyo threw the door open and dashed into Hatori's house, yelling loudly, and frantically, "Hatori! Hatori! Answer me, dang it!" he was running around the house like a madman, trying to find the doctor.

He slammed into a room and froze dead in his tracks. The maid was sitting in a kitchen-table like chair, asleep. Scattered around her were books and papers filled with neat notes. _Wonder what she's looking for...? _Kyo thought, watching her.

But, he was a man on a mission, and this was not his mission. He dashed out of the room, in hot pursuit of the doctor. "Hatori!" he said, still yelling, but yelling quieter than he had.

But, if he had decided to look at what the girl had written, he would have found lot's of things that may have helped him. 'How to Break the Curse' was what was written on most of the papers, along with little scribbles of ideas.

But a paper that he surely would've seen might have helped him the most. On it was many writings. About what, you might ask?

About how much the sleeping girl loved the cat from the zodiac.


	33. It's Coming

_Chapter 33 everyone! And so the end progresses! The end... sigh. I don't want it to end!! Maybe I'll write another fan fiction... then again... I probably wouldn't be as consistent with another one if I did write another one. If I come up with a good idea, then maybe I will... But at the moment I barely have a good ideas for this one... Anyways... Enjoy Chapter 33!!_

_OoO_

Hatori sighed and watched Kyo walk away from his home from the window. So his memories were returning, huh? Slowly, but surely Tohru was re-entering his life. Hatori wasn't sure how this was, since he had very carefully removed all of the memories of her from all of the people he had taken them from.

Slowly but surely... They were creeping back. There wasn't much anyone could do to stop these memories from coming back. Surely they were coming back to the others as well. But, they wouldn't completely come back until the curse was broken, Hatori was sure of this.

OoO

Tohru stared at the small book in her hands. It couldn't be... could it? Did she dare hope for this? Had the day finally come? The book was small and fairly tattered. She could understand how it had escaped her notice, not to mention that it had been almost hidden behind several books on the book shelf.

_Do I dare open this...? _She wondered. There wasn't a title. How she knew that this would be it, she wasn't sure. She just _knew._ That was all there was to it. She knew. And she also knew that this would be it.

This would be the end.

OoO

Kyo sat on the roof, looking up at the starless sky. It was dark and cloudy. He could feel it to. The end was coming. It weighed on his shoulders like a heavy load. He just knew. How would it lift, he didn't know. He didn't know how it would end, how quickly it would come.

But he knew it was coming. He knew it would be here soon. He knew that it would end. And that was all that he knew. He just _did._ It was as simple as that.

OoO

Yuki looked out his window, silent as he usually was. It was raining now. The rain was sprinkling itself upon his window in small silent drops. There was something coming. The weather signified that it was coming. The heaviness of the air everywhere in the Sohma household signified it.

Something was coming. And this something was... strange. But good. And it was coming quickly. Whatever it was.

OoO

Akito staggered to his feet. He felt the heaviness of his household, and he knew the end was near. At least, this was how it seemed. He stumbled towards the door and leaned on it heavily. Sweat was pouring off of him heavily, and his body was on fire.

The fever he had had for a few days was still raging, but that wasn't stopping him. Because he was going to stop this. He was going to make it stop. He was going to keep them, for how could he give them away? Give them away... to that girl. There was not way he was going to relinquish his rights to the Juunishi to the girl who wanted to remove them from him. He wouldn't allow it.

He had to keep them. They were all he had.


	34. I Found a Way to Break the Curse

_Chapter 34... Yes. Sorry it took me like three days to get chapter 33 up... the web sight decided to screw with me, so I couldn't upload it, but, yeah, its up now. I, personally, am pleased with how this story is turning out to be. I really am. So please enjoy Chapter 34!_

_OoO_

Tohru breathed deeply and leaned her head against the cool wall. Truly, she was a blessed person. She stared at the words on the page in her hands. Surely this was a dream... in only a few seconds she would wake up, or she would fly into the pink rain clouds that were pouring gum drops.

But, no, neither of these happened. This was no dream. This was _actually _happening to her. She could... do it. What this book said she should do would certainly not be a challenge. It was fairly simple... in fact, if she went out and got the supplies it described today, she could have it done by tonight.

And by 'it'... well, I'll let you supply what the 'it' is.

OoO

_Thirteen porcelain figurines..._ Tohru thought to herself, briefly checking to make sure the bag she clutched tightly was still there, and not floating up towards the clouds. She had still not completely convinced herself that this was not a dream... It was hard to, since she had searched so long for a way.

And finally, the dream that had always seemed just out of reach, was hers. And she was grasping it. Finally. After almost three long years.

_Your mom would be proud..._ she thought to herself as she hurried towards her temporary home at Hatori's. She had decided not to tell Hatori just yet... She kind of wanted him to be surprised by this... but she also kind of didn't. She guessed that she would tell him when she got to his house, since he would probably ask where she had been and what she was carrying.

She hoped that this would actually work, and it wasn't just some kind of bluff. And that was almost all she could do. And at the moment, it was almost all she had.

Hope...

OoO

Tohru was back at Hatori's house, to find it empty. She was disappointed to a degree, and also had nothing to do. She couldn't do anything until midnight, and this was what was tolling on her patients the most. Normally, she was very patient, but today, when so much was at stake, she found herself antsy and anxious.

She was practically pacing the library floor (where she planned on setting up her project) when she heard the front door open. "Hatori!" she nearly yelled, making a mad dash for the door.

And, there he was, standing there and looking totally surprised at seeing her. "Tohru!" he exclaimed, dashing out of the way before she could collide with him. "Don't do that!"

Tohru was panting now, because she had thrown a lot into the sprint for the door. She looked at him, excited now. "Hatori-kun!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement. "Hatori-kun!" she began speaking really fast without really knowing that this is what she was doing. "IfoundawaytobreakthecurseHatori-kun!! Icanbreakitnowatmidnight!!"

"Whoa, Tohru!" Hatori said, stopping her excited gibberish. "I can't understand a word you are saying! You're going to have to slow down and explain what you're trying to tell me."

Out of breath by now, Tohru reached out and grabbed Hatori's hand and yanked him towards the library, where she had set all of the things she had bought or found. This was extreme un-Tohru-ish behavior, but she was so excited that she couldn't bring herself to care one bit.

She dragged him all the way into the library, then dropped his hand. She made a mad leap for the book she had found and then thrust it at him. Slowly, she said, "Hatori-kun. I found a way to break the curse."


	35. They Would be Free

_Chapter 35... Only around five more chapters to go. And again, I must state that you should stick with me till the end, and I promise that you won't be disappointed. Or at least.. I'll do my best not to disappoint you. So, just keep reading. Things are probably going to start heating up in this chapter, so be warned. Don't say I didn't warn you! Enjoy Chapter 35! Oh, and the next celebrated chapter will be chapter 40! _

_OoO_

Darkness was overtaking the land and the time was approaching; the time of the end. Tohru looked out the window at the setting sun. "H-Hatori-kun?" she said, looking at the man who sat at his desk, writing something.

"Yes, Tohru?"

"Do you think this will work? I mean... you don't think its a hoax, do you?"

He shrugged. "I can't say for sure."

She looked out the window again, then at Hatori. "Do... do you think that Kyo-kun and Sohma-kun and the others will ever remember me? I mean, I know you do a thorough job, but is there any chance that they will have their memories returned? Any chance at all?"

Hatori shrugged. "I don't know Tohru. I can't say for sure."

She sighed and looked out the window again. This would be a long night...

OoO

Kyo looked up at the stars from his spot on the roof. There actually weren't very many stars out tonight... It was just a lot of clouds. He was sleepy, but didn't want to move. He liked it up here. He wasn't quite sure why... maybe because the spirit of his true form liked hight places.

He pulled a wrapped piece of strawberry flavored candy and unwrapped it. He put it in his mouth and smiled slightly, glad to have the familiar sweet sensation in his mouth. He could live with this taste on his tongue forever...

And with the candy dissolving in his mouth, he fell into a satisfied sleep...

OoO

Tohru gently set up the porcelain Zodiac statues on the floor of the library. This would all go very quickly once she started it. She was glad this was ending... but also a little sad. She loved Kyo's cat form, as well as his human form. He was so cute as a cat! But she knew that he didn't necessarily like being called 'cute'.

She smiled at this train of thought. This was for Kyo, for Yuki, and for all the rest that were cursed with this. She was happy she had found a potential way. She was happy that she might be able to free them. This made her heart soar in joy.

And even if they would never remember her, she didn't care.

They would be free.

OoO

Akito staggered and nearly fell. He had started towards Hatori's home hours ago, and had come what felt like only a few feet from his own door step. But, in fact, he was actually fairly close to Hatori's residence. As he had stumbled towards the goal he was determined to reach, he let his hate grow. He hated her. He hated her. He hated the way she was tearing them out of his hands.

He scowled and reached up to wipe his head, but missed dramatically. This fever was confusing him... he couldn't see straight and he found that the ground beneath him was spinning.

He moaned and tripped over a non-existent object. He hit the ground and paused for a moment; his energy was draining fast and he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.

But his goal was in sight, only a few feet from his fallen body. Just a few more feet and he would reach her.. the one who was taking them from him.

And he was ready for her to go down.

OoO


	36. Will You Forget Me?

_Chapter 36... Approximately four chapters left!! Oh the suspense is killing me!! No, not really. I know what's going to happen, so I won't be surprised. Oh well! I'll enjoy writing the rest of this. Good luck, Juunishi and Tohru! I hope you make it ok! **Cackles evilly. **Don't worry about it too much though. I'm a fairly nice person. Enjoy Chapter 36!_

_OoO_

Tohru glanced at the closed door behind her. Hatori had insisted that she do this alone. He was standing... elsewhere in the house. She glanced at the small knife in her hand, then at the gleaming white statues. This wouldn't take long.

She stepped over to the animals, which were almost glowing in the dim candle light, and knelt down. She was ready. She was definitely ready for them to be free.

"This is for you..." she muttered softly, then positioned her hand above the first ornament, a small dragon. "For Hatori." she said softly, drawing the knife across the tips of her four fingers. Blood trailed out and dripped onto the pure white of the dragon.

_Blood is life..._

She continued. She held her hand over the next statue, making sure the old cut didn't drip on the new statue. "For Kagura." she said, bringing the knife across all four fingers again, about a centimeter lower than the last cut.

And this is how she continued, gently staining the white with her blood. It wouldn't hurt her much, just leave a scar or two. She was glad she could do something for them.

"For Shigure."

"For Momiji."

"For Ayame."

"For Kisa."

"For Hiro."

"For Hatsuharu."

"For Isuzu."'

"For Kureno."

"For Yuki."

"For Ristu."

Kyo was the last one she did, and brought the knife across the heal of her palm. "For you, Kyo." she whispered.

And at that instant, the door flew open, an outraged man standing there. "You took them...!" he screamed, and lunged...

OoO

Kyo was dreaming again...

_They were standing on the path that Kyo didn't recognize. She was standing in front of him, her face blurry, like it always was. _

"_Kyo... will you always remember me?" she asked, looking up at him. _

"_Of course I will."_

"_Do you promise?"_

_He nodded. "Of course I promise."_

"_You won't ever forget me?"_

"_No, I won't."_

_He was leaning towards her now, sights set upon a kiss, but this did not happen as he wanted it to. When their lips were only centimeters away, a small explosion went off. _

_He jerked back, and found that he was no longer in the wooded area with his beloved someone. And as he looked around into the darkness, small white feathers fluttered down, and disappeared. But he didn't notice. _

"_Hello?" he called out into the dark space he stood in. "Hello?"_

_There was... something strange about this darkness. Something he felt he had experienced before. Suddenly, a thought entered his mind. Well, less a thought, and less in his mind, but more around him, more like a timid murmur that came from an unknown source... _

_Kyoko..._

_Hmmm? This was strange... When was the last time he had thought of Kyoko Honda? And in the blackness, a small square, grayish in color, appeared, and fuzzy images began to play across it. He stepped closer... Hey! That was Kyoko there on the small screen looking thing... _

_Ah, yes... he recalled her talking to him... telling him things that as a child, he didn't understand. He remembered now... and among the rememberings of Kyoko, brought another person. The strange feeling of something murmuring into the silence of the air happened again..._

_Tohru..._

_The small girl he had gone to see? When Kyoko had taken a night job... he remembered now... how Kyoko had said that she was worried about her daughter, afraid that she might be lonely... and Kyo had gone to check up on her. _

_He remembered her. _

_The small screen progressed through his life, reminding him of events that... he seemed to have forgotten. The story progressed, and he watched Kyoko die before his eyes... and the horror, the guilt, all the feelings he had felt then came rushing back to him. _

_He remembered. _

_He watched his life go forward, as Shishou helped him recover from his depression... but it never went away. It always remained... along with lot's and lot's of guilt. Then, she appeared again. _

_He had crashed through the roof... and he had transformed into a cat. This was there first meeting. He had been angry that she had interfered with the fight he was about to start with Yuki. But that was before he found out who she was. When he found out... the guilt came back... and he was angry. _

_But he had changed. Slowly, over time. And the thing that had helped him change the most... was her. Her smile... seemed to forgive him for everything... everything he had ever done. And he like that feeling._

_Then came the day that Shishou had come back... the day he had removed his beads. And he had ran. He was scared... so scared. Scared of losing her, of being hated more than he already was. And he didn't want that. He didn't want to lose her. He didn't..._

_But then she had come after him. And he didn't want her pitty. He wanted her to stay, wanted her to be with him, to be together, but he didn't want her to hate him. And so he had hurt her, cut her shoulder, made her bleed. And she had walked away. He couldn't blame her for leaving. _

_But then she came back. She begged him to stay, to come back home with her. And he was happy. He was confused, but so glad that she was still there for him, that she didn't hate him. And so he went back with her. _

_And time rolled on... and then came the summer when some of the Juunishi had gone to the beach house. And then Akito had come, calling all of the rest of the Juunishi away form her, leaving her all alone. But he was with her... until Akito had sent for him. _

_And, though Akito had said horrible things about him, and about her, a good thing had come from it. He realized something that changed him drastically. Something that was insanely unheard of for the cat. He realized just how much he loved her. _

_Love..._

_And with this_... his eyes opened.


	37. Attack of the Akito

_Sheesh, that last chapter was really long! I think its a little late in the game for all these chapters to be long like that one though... This one might be long... and it might not. By the way, I apologize if there were any spelling errors in the last chapter... I'm not sure if my spell check is functioning correctly or if I've just learned to spell. Anyways... Enjoy chapter 37! It's 37, right...? 8 17_

_OoO_

"T-Tohru?" Kyo whispered, sitting up and looking around, confused. Where was he at...? He couldn't remember why he was in this... strange, but familiar room. Why was he here... then he remembered. He was staying with Shishou...

Wait... why was he staying with Shishou? He thought hard... then it came to him. Hatori had erased his memories under the command of Akito. Stupid Akito... how long had it been since his memories had been suppressed? How long had it been since he had seen Tohru?

Then he remembered... Tohru! But, how was he remembering?!? His memories had been suppressed! He shouldn't remember! And at this thought, Kyo found himself entering panic. Tohru! She couldn't possibly safe right now... Wait! Hatori! He would know where Tohru was!

He jumped out of bed and dashed towards the door, intent upon rescuing Tohru from whatever disaster that had befallen her since he had last seen her. How long ago was that??? How long had it been since he had seen her?? How long had it been since he had heard her voice, seen her smile????????

And so, he left on his quest to rescue Tohru, seemingly the memories of recent times forgotten.

Because, if he had just thought a little harder, he would've remembered the girl whom he had seen only a few days ago. The girl he had been dreaming of.

The girl he loved.

OoO

Hatori burst into his library; he had abandoned his post for two seconds! _Two seconds!!!! _Tohru was almost to the point screaming. Akito was throwing things at her, and seemed almost drunk. "Akito!" Hatori yelled, dashing forward and grabbing Akito's wrist, just as he was preparing to hurl a book at the fearful girl. "Stop!"

"NO!!" Akito screamed. "SHE TOOK THEM! SHE TOOK THEM! I WILL KILL HER! I'LL KILL HER!!"

"Akito, calm yourself!" Hatori ordered, keeping his voice calm and trying not to sound angry. His curse was broken, so he found no need to keep this... pathetic person happy.

The man screamed in furry and ripped away from Hatori's grasp. The book flew from his hand... and his target was struck. Tohru, who had tried to dash to the side, was struck in the side of the head.

And she collapsed.


	38. Thinkings of Confusion

_64 Chapter 38. This will be wrapping up soon. Very quickly, actually... I won't tell you exactly what is going to happen, but I'm sure you can make a good guess. Enjoy Chapter 38! I have absolutely no idea what write.... HELP ME!!! Enjoy chapter 38 as much as you can... Oh!!! So many reviews... So many awesome reviews!! Agh, I'm overwhelmed.. Thank you so much **tears of gratitude sparkle in eyes. **You guys are so awesome! And so, I will continue this! For your sake! Enjoy Chapter 38 :D :D _

_OoO_

A long time ago, the animals now known as the members of the Zodiac made a deal with 'God'. They would live together forever, they said, even if they were reborn many times to get to that point. And so this happened. Many years later, all of the Juunishi existed at the same time. But one person, one person out of the many people on the earth, entered the lives of the Juunishi, and changed them, slowly, but surely.

And, without knowing it, she grew into their lives, like a vine that works its way into the walls of a house. And, when she was taken form them, and they forgot, their lives changed again. This time, for the worst.

But, fate is a funny thing. When it decides that one person is destined to be a hero, then no matter what, that person becomes a hero.

And so our story continues.

OoO

Kyo dashed through the pouring rain, hardly noticing the cold sensation on his skin. He was so worried about Tohru, he couldn't think straight. His search pattern was random and completely unplanned. This was part of the reason he wasn't getting anywhere. The other part was the fact that he wasn't thinking straight. He needed to stop and think for a minute.

But Kyo was to frantic to do this. His thoughts were a jumbled up mess, full of things that he couldn't of deciphered at that point in time if he had tried. Things like strawberries, Hatori, Tohru, Akito, memories he had forgotten, the cat's room, Tohru, strawberry candy, Shishou... all of which, if had been thought of alone, would've made sense. But together...

He had searched four places so far, all coming up fruitless. Shishou's house, the dojo, the cat's room, and Akito's quarters. He hadn't found her yet, and his worry was growing.

Maybe Hatori would help him...

OoO

Hatori fought Akito, working hard to keep him away from Tohru, who was unconscious. If he let Akito go, he knew that the man would probably murder the girl, which, would definitely be bad. He could tell Akito had a fever; his skin was hot as fire. How had this weak person even made it to Hatori's house? How was he even fighting back? Where was this energy coming from?

Hatori managed to fight the man out of the library and into the living room. "Akito! Calm down!"

Akito was screaming incoherent nonsense about the Juunishi and Tohru, sounding like he had finally gone over the edge of insanity.

"Calm down! You're going to kill yourself if you keep over-exerting yourself!"

But Akito completely ignored him, and, finally, after fighting as hard as he could for a long time, he collapsed.


	39. Please be ok!

_Ok, so the first bit in the last chapter was random, but I had no idea what I was going to write. Sorry bout that... Enjoy Chapter 39! Ack! I have no idea what to write!!!!!!! This ending will be harder to do than I thought... And! Sorry it took so long to get this up... I was suffering a case of mild writer's block. _

_OoO_

Hatori was briefly at loss for what to do. Normally, his top priority was Akito, but he was free of that now. He doubted that Tohru had died from the hit on the head, but he didn't know how hard Akito had flung the book. Akito had a high and raging fever, and who knows how long he had had it.

Well... he would at least get Akito situated. Tohru would have to wait a little bit.

She was ok, he was sure. He hoped...

OoO

Tohru was drifting through dream land; multiple things were in her head. Her mom, Uo-chan, Hana-chan... _when did I last think of them...? _the thought floated past her mind's eyes. _I wonder how they are doing....? Do they remember me? I wonder if I actually broke the curse... am I dying?_ This was a strange thought, because Tohru didn't fell like she was dying. But the darkness around her seemed... so dark, so bleak, so lifeless... that she couldn't help but think this.

What if all of her effort had been fruitless...? Hmm... would all the things she had done, all the things that had happened to her, all the people she had met... would they tell her that her efforts had been fruitless? Even if the curse didn't break... even if they were still chained to Akito, would it still be worth nothing?

No, she decided. No. It was worth it. She didn't do much, but she would never wish that she had never done it. She would never go back, and she would most certainly never regret.

_I wonder if my hand is still bleeding...?_ and her mind continued in unsteady thinking patterns...

OoO

Hatori had gotten Akito stabilized. He was so worried about Tohru that time had seemed to slow to nearly a stop. And, just as he was heading to make sure Tohru was ok, he heard someone pounding on his door. Crap.

Answer the door...?

Or help Tohru...?

Dang it! He couldn't think straight! He walked towards the door and threw it open. "Oh. Kyo. Come in." Kyo nearly broke the door down on his rush inside.

"Tohru! Where's Tohru! Is she here!?!?" Kyo, eyes wide and frantic, grabbed Hatori's suit jacket and shook him. "Where! Is! She! At!" his words grew more intense with each word.

"Kyo, calm down. I'll take you to her."

OoO

"Kyo, calm down. I'll take you to her."

Wait... what? Kyo nearly froze. He had come to see if Hatori knew, but he didn't actually think that he would... "Huh?" he was absolutely baffled.

"Come on." Hatori said, unlocking Kyo's fingers from his suit jacket. "I'll take you to her. She... had an accident and is unconscious, though, so do your best to calm yourself. She may be hurt."

What? Hurt! No... no! If she were hurt... he would never forgive himself! Please be ok... please! She had to be ok...! She just had to be!


	40. Give It All Away

_Chapter 40... will it end here? Will it end forever? I've been writing for what seems like centuries, but actually it hasn't been that long at all. I'm glad I have people who actually read my stories! Thank you all so much! My gratitude goes out to you. But about writing another one... I may not do that. I might write one for one of the other mangas that I write, but it depends on where inspiration strikes. And inspiration is a funny thing; it hardly ever strikes the same place twice :D Lol, I'm kidding. I've been struck by inspiration plenty of times. Anyways! Wish me luck on the last two or three chapters! Enjoy number 40! OH! And apparently I got voted for best new writer for March :) That's shocking! Thanks for reading the story thus far guys! Enjoy :) And **evil smile** expect the unexpected. _

_OoO_

Tohru drifted about in the dark corridors of her mind, drifting in and out of thoughts ghost-like. Hmm.. this was strange. There were black memories here... memories that consisted of no more than... dust. Just... dust. No images, no sounds. Dust... What a strange way to describe the empty black of a possible former memory. Like a dusty room that once held something precious, but was now empty and very sneeze-worthy.

She wondered... was there supposed to be something in that dusty space of memory? Or had it always been empty?

OoO

Kyo stared at Tohru's face; Hatori had examined her, and said she would be ok. He said that she only had a knot on her head under her hair where a book had hit her. A book... thrown by Akito. The thought would have ticked him off if he weren't so worried about Tohru. He sighed and shifted in the chair he was sitting in. How much longer would she sleep?

He was thinking more clearly now, and was wondering how he didn't remember her during the food fight...? Or during the other times he had seen her... did her remember because she had broken the curse? He actually hadn't noticed that haunting presence was gone until Hatori had told him to pick Tohru up and bring her into the sitting room. In any other circumstances, he would have been happy, but he found it hard to be happy when Tohru was still unconscious.

He reached out and fingered the hand that was bandaged; Hatori had said that she had sliced her hand thirteen times to free them. He wondered which number he had been...? The question wasn't relevant, but he still wondered. Was he the first? Or the last? Or in the middle somewhere? He smiled slightly. He was being silly. Why would he care about something as stupid as what number he was when she was freeing the curse?

Suddenly, he was jerked from his thoughts; Tohru murmured something, and her eyes fluttered.

Excited, Kyo said, trying to be quiet so not to wake her up suddenly, shaking her shoulder gently, "Tohru! Hey, Tohru, are you awake?"

Her eyes drifted open and she stared at him.

He smiled. "You're awake!"

She blinked and asked, looking confused, "Who are you?"

Kyo froze. What?

And finally, after what seemed like a long time, Akito's final plan was put into motion.

Finally, Tohru had lost it all. She gave it all away.

THE END


	41. Ha! Chill out It's not over yet!

**Cackles Evilly. **How did you like the end of _Give it all Away?_ Oh! Did I scare you? Chill out, chill out... I'm not done yet! I've had my fun, so now I will tell you... I just decided that forty chapters for one story was too long. So, I'm starting a new one! I guess I could have made longer chapters, but what is the fun in that? Ok.

But you know, I really hate sequels... Mostly because you have to go back and read the first story first, or you are totally lost! So, I'm going to give a summery of _Give it all Away _before I chug into the remainder of the story.

Oh.. and it's not going to be called _Give it all Away 2_ or _The Sequel to Give it all Away_ I was thinking more along the lines of... Actually, that's a good question... what will I call it...? Hmm... maybe... well... um? Let me think... _Memories of Dust?_ That would be weird though, huh? Just so you know, I was making reference to the first paragraph of the last chapter...

Let's see... Names are important, aren't they? _Slipping Away._ That sounds a little unoriginal though... _The Remnants of a Curse._ That sounds pretty good... but I'll think on it some more...

Hmm... _Memory Eclipse. _That sounds... strange. What else..?

_Effects of the What Breaks. _That's really long.

_Akito's Final Plan of Akito Evil. _Heh, again, making reference to past things in Give it all Away. The last sentence, I think. Allow me to continue to think... I need a few more ideas before I can decide.

_People of Strange Familiarity. _I pulled that one out of thin air...

_Of Ends and Beginnings. _I like that one... but it doesn't fit my ideas very well.

Ok! I shall decide with what I have now. So the choice is between _Memories of Dust, Slipping Away, The Remnants of a Curse, Memory Eclipse, Effects of What Breaks, Akito's Final Plan of Akito Evil, People of Strange Familiarity, _and _Of Ends and Beginnings._ Oh dear... this is a hard choice. I'm fond of _The Remnants of a Curse _and _Of Ends and Beginnings. _Oh dear... so hard to choose!

How about we go with _The Remnants of a Curse? _If I'm not feeling it, I'll change it. So, look for my next story called

**The Remnants of a Curse**


	42. Shall I recombobulate?

Hello lub-ubbublies! My dearest readers of Give it All Away :) It's great to be reacquainted with you!

Now, don't get me wrong, the original version of Give it All Away was good... But it wasn't as good as my story could be! Definitely not... So... I've come to my dearest readers :) to ask what you think about me revamping the chapters?

Oh, the memories of making this story .... I miss writing it oh so much.... So so much....

Revamping the chapters would be lot's of fun, yes?

Well, if I revamped the chapters, here is what you can expect of me:

The same story line, just lot's more detail and longer chapters ^-^

Maybe a few extra scenes

Slight combobulation of parts that need combobulating

And

Twice the moosh-lovely-ness of before!

So hows about it, meh readers? Whatcha think? You can either A. Comment your reply to my humble question or B. PM me ^-^ So do either/or and lemme know!

^-^ Thanks oh so much!

3,

Music is my Inspiration


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